Wednesday, July 19, could well be a watershed for Sector V. Flooded by criticism ever since Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee?s precious tech town drowned after the downpour at dawn, the CMDA has finally decided to draw up a today-tomorrow salvage plan.

Integral to a permanent solution in the showpiece township is a public-private partnership (PPP) to revamp both sewerage as well as water supply. Private players to have already shown an interest in the project include Reliance Energy, JUSCO (a Tata Steel subsidiary) and Nagarjun Constructions. At a pre-bid meet on Monday, the last date for expression of interest was extended beyond the earlier deadline of August 11.

?The project will include setting up lines for distribution of water ? to be supplied by the CMC ? to Sector V, as well as building the entire infrastructure for sewerage, including a treatment plant for effluents. The response to the PPP has been very encouraging,? said P.R. Bavishkar, CEO of CMDA.

As per the plan, the company will lay down the whats and hows of the project, along with the financial bid. It will then be placed before a technical committee. Once picked, a private player will have to complete the project in around 18 months and then maintain the network for some three decades.

?This is a unique project, since the company bidding will not just quote a price but also devise the entire plan, from idea to implementation,? explained a senior officer of the CMDA.

For this monsoon and the next, prayers seem to stand a better chance than projects at Sector V. As short-term crisis management, though, the CMDA has decided to set up pumps at certain key intersections of the IT hub to drain rainwater into Kestopur canal.

Besides, the gully pits on certain stretches of Sector V will be cleared of concrete dumps and the sewer lines de-silted. Finally, emergency road repairs will be carried out. This three-pronged plan was drawn up following an inspection on Saturday by a team of senior engineers.

Sector V is desperately seeking a solution before the next deluge. D.K. Chaudhuri, CEO, Skytech Solution, summed it up: ?I hope the authorities manage to chalk out something quick. The fact that the private sector has been asked to contribute seems to be a positive move. However, there are certain spots in Sector V that need to be looked at immediately ? the first being the stretch in front of Infinity building, followed by the one in front of Wipro.?