Shivpuri dug up to lay sewers, roads yet to be built after 5 years

Shivpuri: Gwalior bench of high court has given the state government a deadline till June 30 to renovate and make motorable the roads of Shivpuri. The order came after a senior advocate, Vijay Tiwari, filed a PIL in the court regarding the bad condition of roads after they were dug up to lay a sewerage pipeline in 2010.
The court appointed a high-level commission of four senior advocates to inspect the construction of roads and submit a report.In 2007, the then UPA-Centre introduced a Kendriya Jheel Sanrakshan Project for conservation and management of lakes. Rs 42 crore was sanctioned to Madhya Pradesh for the conservation of Shivpuri's Shankhnagar Lake whose water was being polluted by the sewer from the town. The project was aimed at diverting the town's sewer to a treatment plant rather than letting it flow into the lake. The work on it commenced after three years and the state department of public health engineering and town municipal council started digging roads to lay the sewer pipeline. But, the funds were exhausted even before the project could go half way. The roads were dug, but there was no money to level them. "The entire drainage system was damaged and roads left unmotorable. Besides, the treatment plant for treatment of the town's sewerage was not ready. It is still not ready," said Munnalal Kushwah, chairman of municipal council.
"The roads were in a pathetic state as school buses would get struck in the dug up holes and we would have to rescue children from windows. Cars were getting damaged and no one was bothered. There was so much dust on the road that asthma patients were afraid to step out," said advocate Tiwari who took up the matter with the high court last year. Shivpuri town has 29 roads under the state PWD department and 17 under maintenance of the municipal council. "Two points were raised before the court. One, the quality of work under the sewer laying project and the condition of the roads as a result of the digging," Tiwari told TOI. "The court directed the state government to submit a status report of the project and release funds to renovate and tar the roads of the town," he said.
On March 28, the court took a firm stand and directed that all roads under the municipal council should be renovated and made motorable by March 31, while the PWD roads, which are the main thoroughfares, have been given time till the last day of June. But even as time is running out, the PWD department has not started its work as yet. Tenders are being floated to invite contractors for the job.