(From top) Filth lines an open drain near Albert Ekka Chowk on Tuesday; another at Ratu Road is a breeding ground for vectors; and muck threatens to choke a drain at Purani Ranchi. Pictures by Hardeep Singh

Clean capital dreams may not be as distant as you thought.

The state government has ended a five-year stalemate that mired an ambitious Rs 1,145-crore sewerage project under JNNURM by releasing pending blueprint fee to consultant Meinhardt Singapore Private Limited.

Director, urban development, Sunil Kumar said the detailed project report (DPR), which the consultant had handed over to Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) last month, was now under perusal and would be sent to the Centre for final approval within a couple of days.

“The basic thing, a DPR, is done. All we need to do is seek a go-ahead from the Centre. As soon as the blueprint is approved in Delhi, we will start work,” Kumar said.

Absence of proper sewerage had put Ranchi on JNNURM’s must list in 2006. The state invited consultants through tenders and Singapore-based Meinhardt was awarded the DPR contract for Rs 25 crore the same year. A portion of the fee — Rs 14 crore — was also released.

However, a section of legislators raised questions on Meinhardt’s selection and accused the government of foul play. Subsequently, in 2007, the state Assembly constituted a committee, headed by former BJP MLA Sarayu Roy, to look into the matter. The panel submitted a report, confirming loopholes in the selection process, and payment of pending fee to Meinhardt was withheld. The company then sought intervention of Jharkhand High Court.

On April 25 this year, the court quashed findings of the report and directed the state government to release the rest of the money so that the JNNURM project could get underway. In the first week of August, the urban development department gave Rs 11 crore to RMC to pay Meinhardt and secure an updated DPR, which the company had readied in 2008. The civic body received the report in mid-August and forwarded it to the department for scrutiny.

Besides the blueprint fee the state will have to bear 20 per cent of the project cost while the Centre will provide the remaining funds.

Ranchi has never had proper drainage and sewerage. Open drains flood streets, especially during monsoon, and breed vectors that cause a host of maladies, some of them being fatal.

Mayor Rama Khalkho admitted the pathetic condition and expressed hope that the JNNURM project would put an end to the woes. “We have very little funds at our disposal. All we could do is cover drains with concrete slabs. Now, it is a desperate wait for the JNNURM sewerage,” she said.

What more should be done to improve drainage in the capital? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com