Clean Ganga Mission approves ₹4,000 crore worth projects

The National Mission for Clean (NMCG) Ganga has given green signal to projects worth ₹4,000 crore, including a 20 million litre per day (MLD) common effluent treatment plant (CETP) at Jajmau near Kanpur for tannery units.

The three-phase, ₹629 crore Jajmau project, would be executed by a newly-created special purpose vehicle, Jajmau Tannery Effluent Treatment Association, said an official statement after the 9th executive committee meeting of the NMCG.

Two other major projects cleared by the mission were ₹967.23 crore project for rehabilitating and integrating sewerage zones in and around Kanpur and another similar project costing ₹904 crore in Allahabad.

The Jajmau CETP project would also include pre-treatment units for 380 individual tannery units, and installation of 200 KLD capacity zero liquid discharge pilot plant. The central share in the project would be ₹472 crore.

“This is a major step forward in arresting the pollution in Ganga emanating from the crucial industrial town of Kanpur,” it said.

Both the Kanpur and Allahabad sewage treatment plants would be under hybrid-annuity PPP model. Under the hybrid-annuity model, the government pays 40 per cent of the project cost linked to construction milestones. The remaining 60 per cent is paid over 15 years as annuities to the private concessionaire along with operation and maintenance expense.

The meeting also gave its nod for bioremediation treatment of drains discharging into the Ganga at a cost of ₹410 crore. The mission with the help of Central Pollution Control Board and public sector undertakings have already identified the sites where the technology service provider would set up treatment facilities, the statement said.

The approval also received approval for a project for rehabilitation with operation and maintenance of 15 years for Garden Reach STP (57 MLD) and Keorapukur STP (50 MLD) in West Bengal under hybrid annuity mode at an estimated cost of ₹165.16 crore.

Besides, three sewage infrastructure projects which were cleared earlier got revised approvals in Begusarai, Hajipur and Munger in Bihar at an estimated cost of ₹230.06 crore, ₹305.18 crore and ₹294.02 crore respectively. The central share in these three projects is ₹161.04 crore, ₹213.63 crore and ₹205.81 crore respectively, it said.

Presenting the Union Budget on February 1, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as many as 47 under Namami Gange completed already.