Patna, Feb. 9: Residents of the state capital may soon be spared the trouble of erratic water supply. The authorities have finally selected the agencies to develop a round-the-clock distribution network for the city.

Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) has selected the consortium of Geo Miller & Company Private Limited and Gammon India Limited for the job.

Funds for the new project under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was sanctioned nearly three years ago and the funds earmarked for it are scheduled to lapse at the end of the current fiscal (on March 31, 2012).

So the authorities are extra keen to speed up the project. The sanctioned amount for the scheme is Rs 534 crore.

A source said the work could be awarded within a week. The actual work is expected to begin in March.

The consortium of Geo Millar and Gammon were selected after financial bids submitted by the applicants for this scheme were opened yesterday. Under the new water supply scheme, the agencies would construct 72 new overhead water tanks and at least 25 tube-wells across the city.

The Telegraph in its edition dated December 13, 2012, had reported about BUIDCo inviting firms to design, build, operate, manage and maintain the new 24x7 water supply system in the state capital.

“The selection of the consortium of Geo Miller and Gammon is a big achievement for us. The scheme has been already delayed by three years. The JNNURM is scheduled to lapse by the end of this fiscal. Also, all earlier efforts taken by us to execute the scheme had failed because of some issue or the other. It had become a matter of concern for us. However, now we have selected two of the most efficient firms in this sector. We are sure that this scheme will be a big success,” said a senior BUIDCo officer.

At present, Geo Miller is working on a number of water supply projects across the country, including water treatment plants in Hyderabad, Bhopal and Udaipur in Rajasthan.

Gammon India, on the other hand, has built the Kosi Mahasetu, which was inaugurated yesterday by chief minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister of road and highways C.P. Joshi. The cost of the project was Rs 400 crore.

The BUIDCo officer said: “We intend to issue the work award to the selected consortium within a week. We want the work to start next month. The project has to be completed within 24 months from the date of commencement of the execution order.”

He added: “This is among the last few projects given to BUIDCo at the time of its constitution in 2009, on which the work is still to commence. BUIUDCo has started work on 23 projects within the past six months. The finalisation of the Patna water supply project is like the icing on the cake. This is the biggest water supply project ever undertaken in the country. Once this project is completed, we can say that the people of Patna would literally be able to drink the water of Ganga.”

According to the project plan, the city would be divided into two zones — north and south. The Delhi-Howrah railway track would be the dividing line. The northern part would be supplied water from the Ganga.

New tubewells and reservoirs would be constructed for supplying water to the southern zone. The consortium would manage the supply network for 10 years, after which, it would be handed over to the civic body.