Jaranwala:
After more than a year and a half of legal battles, procedural delays and control by several government organizations, the wastewater management and wastewater management project at 3.845 billion rupees long awaited in Jaranwala is finally underway.
The project, considered as an important step to achieve climate resilience objectives and sustainable development objectives (SDGs) set by the UN and the Government of Pakistan for 2030, is executed by the Municipal Committee (MC) Jaranwala.
According to official sources, the complete project includes the rehabilitation of municipal services, the construction of roads and chowks, the upgrading of drainage systems, the installation of a new sewer network and the establishment of a wastewater treatment plant.
Additional components include the supply of liquid waste machines, solid waste management equipment, model street development, parks’ rehabilitation and green belts and the installation of a disaster management system.
An MC officer, speaking under the cover of anonymity, revealed that the project initially faced a strong controversy.
Disputes occurred during the tender process when the technical and financial offers were invited simultaneously.
Only one company was declared technically qualified, which led other bidders to contest the decision before the lower courts, the High Court of Lahore and various government institutions, including the anti-corruption establishment, the municipal Punjab Development Fund Company (PMDFC), the Punjab Proculment Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and the commissioner of Commissioner (DC).
Despite the PMDFC’s recommendation to include all tenderers and the intervention of the World Bank thanks to its work team leader, MC Jaranwala opened the offers in March and April 2024.
The PPRA called for supply files, which have not been provided, resulting in the cancellation of the tender process.
The High Court of Lahore also published a suspension on the procedure during this period.
Last year, similar concerns of the World Bank led the Punjab local authorities department to suspend two key managers of MC Jaranwala, including the chief officer, on the irregularities of purchases.
These setbacks delayed the project and private more than 1.5 million residents of essential water and sanitation facilities.
However, the assistant commissioner and administrator MC Jaranwala, Rangzeb Goraya, confirmed that the project was now progressing well. “Civil works has resumed. Key components such as the parking hangar, several roads and chowks, a power supply in liquid waste machines and a period of sanitation lines have already been completed in record time,” he said.
Goraya also revealed that five new PC -1s for additional projects – including model streets, route rehabilitation and solarization of elimination stations – have been finalized.
