Latest news with #Amrut2.0
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
State Orders Third-Party Audit Amid Alarming Quality Concerns in AMRUT 2.0 Projects
Nagpur: Amid rising complaints of shoddy execution and deteriorating public infrastructure, the Maharashtra govt on June 30 issued a Government Resolution (GR) directing Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) to implement Third Party Technical Audits (TPTA) for all ongoing works under the Rs10,513 crore Amrut 2.0 mission. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The decision comes in the wake of mounting criticism over substandard work in key projects—particularly those being executed by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). These include the Rs381 crore water supply augmentation project and the Rs900 crore Pora River Pollution Abatement scheme, both under Amrut 2.0. The pollution abatement project has already drawn public ire. NMC Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari slapped a Rs1 crore cumulative fine on three contractors for botched restoration after sewer line work across southwest and south Nagpur. Another firm involved in the water supply augmentation project was also penalised for execution lapses. Dug-up roads in affected areas continue to torment motorists, with private agencies ignoring repeated warnings to complete proper restoration. Despite funds pouring in and clear directives from the civic administration, on-ground execution remained sloppy—sparking outrage among residents and raising doubts about project oversight. The Amrut 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) was rolled out in Maharashtra in July 2022 and spans from FY 2021–22 to 2025–26. Of the Rs10,513 crore outlay, Rs9,285 crore is earmarked for project implementation, with the rest reserved for reform incentives and administrative expenses. To plug the accountability gap, the state has now asked MJP, which functions as the Project Development and Management Consultant (PDMC), to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) within two weeks to empanel qualified technical auditors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The process will be overseen by the State Level Technical Committee (SLTC), which has also been empowered to revise the audit's scope as needed. Audit expenses will be drawn from the Amrut administrative fund, subject to the Centre's approval. If denied, the state will bear the cost separately. A senior NMC official said MJP earlier engaged a third-party auditor, but the audit contract ended—triggering the current process to appoint a new agency. However, critics argue the govt has been slow to act, allowing poor-quality work to continue unchecked for months. As the mission enters its crucial final stretch, the govt's move to institutionalise independent technical scrutiny may be the only way to salvage public confidence and ensure taxpayer money doesn't go down the drain—literally.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Why India must tap its wastewater prospects
India's water and wastewater treatment market, valued at $13.1 billion in 2023, is projected to reach $23.85 billion by 2033. This number mirrors India's accelerating urbanisation, climate fragility, and industrial thirst. In 2020, urban centres generated over 72.4 billion litres per day (BLD) of sewage; yet, the installed treatment capacity stood at just 31.84 BLD. The deficit of over 40 BLD represents a staggering gap in basic infrastructure. Progress here is unbalanced: Maharashtra treated over 8 BLD in end-2023, while Bihar treated under 0.4 BLD, despite comparable population pressures. India's wastewater success is often measured by construction of sewage treatment plants (STPs) — by programmes such as Amrut 2.0 and Namami Gange — rather than performance. (HT Photo) A country that aims to supply piped drinking water to every rural household continues to lose billions of litres of water daily because of inadequate treatment and reuse mechanisms. Can a water-secure India ever emerge if it continues to ignore wastewater? India's industrial sector is a major player in this landscape. The industrial wastewater treatment sub-market was worth $1.44 billion in 2023 and is set to touch $2.4 billion by 2033. Sewage treatment, meanwhile, remains the second-largest segment, growing from $5.01 billion in 2023 to a projected $9.08 billion by 2033. Water treatment, including desalination and recycling plants, dominates, climbing from $6.65 billion to $12.37 billion in the same period. This layered growth hints at the simultaneous pressures of urban expansion, rising demand for potable water, and tighter environmental mandates. However, these numbers obscure a deeper structural issue — policy fragmentation. Despite the consolidation of water-related departments into the Jal Shakti ministry in 2019, overlapping jurisdictions, state-level inertia, and a lack of techno-commercial capacity often derail projects mid-stream. India's wastewater sector is undergoing a significant technological pivot. Traditional chemical treatment is steadily giving way to more sustainable, membrane-based approaches like reverse osmosis (RO), sequencing batch reactors (SBR), and membrane bioreactors (MBR). The market for these advanced technologies is buoyed by rising industrial compliance costs and water reuse mandates. However, with MBR systems being very expensive, the barriers to entry remain steep — particularly for small municipalities and low-income states. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) offer a partial solution, but uptake has been uneven. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are leading examples, boasting some of the largest municipal and industrial desalination projects in Asia. But here's the catch — decentralised systems that serve peri-urban clusters, villages, and small towns are virtually absent in policy frameworks. Real-time water quality monitoring, process automation, and AI-enabled compliance tools are still limited to large city projects or high-end industrial clusters. India's budgetary allocations for water and sanitation are substantial but not transformative. In 2023, only 67% of Amrut 2.0 funds were utilised, and over ₹ 6,000 crore of Jal Jeevan Mission grants remained unspent. Moreover, capital allocation is skewed towards urban megaprojects, while smaller cities — where over 60% of untreated wastewater originates — are left behind. Private investment faces its own hurdles. A 2023 industry survey revealed that 53% of wastewater firms cite high operating costs and lack of guaranteed returns on investment for not bidding on tenders. If the wastewater sector is to meet its $23.8 billion potential by 2033, India will need innovative financing mechanisms, including green bonds, water credits, and blended finance models. India's wastewater success is often measured by construction of sewage treatment plants (STPs) — by programmes such as Amrut 2.0 and Namami Gange — rather than performance. In 2023, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 40% of STPs failed to meet national discharge standards. Mandating zero liquid discharge (ZLD) for polluting sectors is a step in the right direction. But enforcement remains patchy. Only 13% of textile units in Punjab and Haryana were ZLD compliant as of mid-2023, despite repeated notices. Moreover, state-level implementation varies wildly. While Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu have crossed 75% of their planned STP capacity, states such as Jharkhand and Tripura remain under 15%. The '3R' mantra — reduce, reuse, recycle — is slowly entering industrial and municipal thinking. Yet nationally, less than 20% of treated wastewater is reused. The rest is discharged back into the environment. Circular thinking also opens the door to energy recovery, nutrient extraction, and sludge-to-brick conversion. In Pune, for instance, biogas from sewage sludge powers local buses. But such projects are outliers, not norms. India's policy focus must shift from wastewater disposal to resource recovery. The challenge is immense — but so is the promise. The drain, it turns out, may be the most powerful pipeline to India's sustainable future. Souryabrata Mohapatra is an assistant professor at the IIT Jodhpur School of Liberal Arts, and Amit Mitra is a research associate at NCAER, New Delhi. The views expressed are personal.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pawan Kalyan should focus on Andhra Pradesh: K N Nehru
Trichy: Municipal administration minister K N Nehru on Wednesday said that the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh must first focus on issues prevailing in his state rather than commenting on Tamil Nadu's affairs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The minister participated in DMK booth level agents meetings held in Trichy city and later inaugurated a new drinking water project and bus stand renovation project in Thuraiyur town. "Living in Hyderabad, he (Pawan Kalyan) must mind issues prevailing in Andhra Pradesh. Just because he got a dais, and a microphone to talk, he made some comments," Nehru told reporters in response to the actor-turned-politician's address in the Madurai Murugan conference. The minister added that booth level agents in DMK have been told to add new members to the party and strengthen the party further in successful areas based on the past election results. Responding to a question on opening of the integrated bus terminus in Panjapur, the minister said that the terminus would open before July 15. "Our alliance is intact, our chief minister is leading the alliance smoothly. He will decide about seat sharing in the alliance, we will work as per his command," the minister said. Nehru later inaugurated a new drinking water project for Thuraiyur town completed at 108.9 crore. The project funded under Amrut 2.0 scheme shall supply drinking water to 9,100 houses in Thuraiyur. He also laid the foundation stone for renovating Thuraiyur bus terminus at 11.2 crore. The 30-year-old Anna bus stand will be expanded to benefit 39,764 residents in 24 wards of Thuraiyur town.
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Business Standard
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Rites rises 3% on securing ₹28.5 crore order from Gujarat Urban Development
Rites shares gained 2.7 per cent in trade on Wednesday, logging an intraday high at ₹283.5 per share on BSE. At 9:30 AM, Rites share price was trading 1.99 per cent higher at ₹281.35 per share on the BSE. In comparison, the BSE Sensex was up 0.63 per cent at 82,571.26. The company's market capitalisation stood at ₹13,521.79 crore. Its 52-week high was at ₹398.5 per share and 52-week low was at ₹192.3 per share. Rites order win details The civil construction company's stock advanced after its received a letter of intent from Gujarat Urban Development Company, worth around ₹28.5 crore. The order has to be executed within 60 days. "We are pleased to inform you that RITES has received the Letter of Intent from Gujarat Urban Development Company Limited for 'Appointment of TPI agency for WSS/UGD/STP projects under Amrut 2.0/SJMMSVY under GUDC for ULBs of Gujarat," the filing read. The company has been appointed as the TPI agency for WSS/UGD/STP projects under Amrut 2.0/SJMMSVY by GUDC for ULBs of Gujarat. A TPI (Third-Party Inspection) agency is appointed to inspect and monitor the work on various infrastructure projects. Recently, the company also bagged an order for construction and supervision for the extension of East Bank- East Coast Road Project Phase 2 (Eccles to Providence), along with additional work under an existing assignment. The order was worth $2,908,824.5. The project is international in nature and spans 18 months of construction supervision, followed by a 12-month defects liability period. About Rites Rites is a Navratna and Schedule 'A' Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, incorporated on April 26, 1974, is a multidisciplinary engineering and consultancy organisation, providing a comprehensive range of services from concept to commissioning in all facets of transport infrastructure and related technologies. The company's market capitalisation has placed it among the top 500 listed companies in India, a testament to the high-quality solutions and services it delivers, driven by its talented pool of professionals.
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Business Standard
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Rites jumps 3% on securing ₹28.5 crore order from Gujarat Urban Development
Rites shares gained 2.7 per cent in trade on Wednesday, logging an intraday high at ₹283.5 per share on BSE. At 9:30 AM, Rites share price was trading 1.99 per cent higher at ₹281.35 per share on the BSE. In comparison, the BSE Sensex was up 0.63 per cent at 82,571.26. The company's market capitalisation stood at ₹13,521.79 crore. Its 52-week high was at ₹398.5 per share and 52-week low was at ₹192.3 per share. In one year, Rites shares have lost 20 per cent as compared to Sensex's rise of 5 per cent. Rites order win details The civil construction company's stock advanced after its received a letter of intent from Gujarat Urban Development Company, worth around ₹28.5 crore. The order has to be executed within 60 days. "We are pleased to inform you that RITES has received the Letter of Intent from Gujarat Urban Development Company Limited for 'Appointment of TPI agency for WSS/UGD/STP projects under Amrut 2.0/SJMMSVY under GUDC for ULBs of Gujarat," the filing read. The company has been appointed as the TPI agency for WSS/UGD/STP projects under Amrut 2.0/SJMMSVY by GUDC for ULBs of Gujarat. A TPI (Third-Party Inspection) agency is appointed to inspect and monitor the work on various infrastructure projects. Recently, the company also bagged an order for construction and supervision for the extension of East Bank- East Coast Road Project Phase 2 (Eccles to Providence), along with additional work under an existing assignment. The order was worth $2,908,824.5. The project is international in nature and spans 18 months of construction supervision, followed by a 12-month defects liability period. The order was secured from the Ministry of Public Works, Co-operative Republic of Guyana. About Rites Rites is a Navratna and Schedule 'A' Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, incorporated on April 26, 1974, is a multidisciplinary engineering and consultancy organisation, providing a comprehensive range of services from concept to commissioning in all facets of transport infrastructure and related technologies. The company's market capitalisation has placed it among the top 500 listed companies in India, a testament to the high-quality solutions and services it delivers, driven by its talented pool of professionals.
