Reported by Laxman Sharma
Digboi: A long-delayed drinking water supply project in Digboi has been revived, with BJP MLA Suren Phukan on Monday laying the foundation stone for the Rs 41.68-crore scheme aimed at improving water supply across the town’s nine municipal wards.
The project, to be implemented by the Assam Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board (AUWSSB), will have a treatment and distribution capacity of 3.90 million litres of drinking water per day.
Originally approved in 2014, the Digboi Town Water Supply Scheme was designed to provide a reliable drinking water network for the town. The project was formally taken up in 2019 at an estimated cost of around Rs 45 crore but witnessed repeated delays and limited progress.
Despite three rounds of tendering, the scheme reportedly achieved only about six per cent physical progress. Only a few components, including an administrative building and concrete piling works, were completed before the project stalled. Sources familiar with the project attributed the delays to contractor changes, technical issues and implementation bottlenecks.
Authorities subsequently initiated a fourth round of tendering, following which the work was awarded to a Guwahati-based contractor. The revised project cost has been fixed at Rs 41.68 crore.
The foundation stone was laid at the Digboi Municipal Board premises, where Phukan formally relaunched the project. The government has set a target of completing the scheme within two years.
The project’s revival comes months after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during an election rally at Tingrai Stadium on April 2, said efforts would be made to expedite the long-pending water supply scheme.
The ceremony also coincided with Phukan taking oath as an ex-officio member of the Digboi Municipal Board.
A day earlier, Phukan inaugurated the Jagannath Skill Development and Community Centre at Powai Tea Estate under Powai Panchayat. The facility is intended to support vocational training and community activities in the area.
Officials from the civil and police administration, representatives of the Digboi Municipal Board, Zila Parishad members, panchayat leaders and local residents attended Monday’s programme.
If completed within the stipulated timeframe, the scheme is expected to supply 3.90 million litres of treated drinking water daily to residents across Digboi’s municipal area.