PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haridwar
Taking cognisance of negligence in the operation of the 3.5 MLD capacity sewage treatment plant at Tapovan in Rishikesh, the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (Ganga) executive engineer Ajay Kumar has initiated the procedure for cancelling the contract with and blacklist the Ecotech Engineering firm which has been operating this STP. Kumar said that he had inspected the STP on May 29 and found various serious technical flaws in its operation and maintenance.
A penalty of Rs 6.16 lakh had been imposed on the firm which had also been directed to redress the flaws in one month. Another inspection was conducted on June 24 and the flaws found during the previous inspection were found to be unaddressed.
Taking serious cognisance of continued negligence, the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (UJS) has decided to cancel the contract with the firm with immediate effect and also blacklist it. Kumar said that UJS has taken over the operation of the STP. He said that the bioculture system of the plant was affected due to about 1,000 chemical oxygen demand (COD) chemical mixed sewage in the plant’s inlet. A technical team has been deployed to develop the bioculture again. It may take upto a week to restore the system under normal circumstances.
According to Kumar, the firm was operating the plant from 2022. Initial inquiry gives ground to the possibility of chemical effluent from some laundry or industrial unit having reached the STP resulting in this situation. The UJS is also working to ascertain the source of the chemical effluent which reached the plant. Action will be taken according to the law against those found responsible, Kumar added.
