The ambitious Patna Water Supply Scheme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission can be a serious challenger to the project aimed at augmenting the existing distribution system for the slow execu- tion title.

Its sluggish progress was highlighted during a review of the Rs 548-crore project by urban development and housing minister Prem Kumar on Wednesday evening. “The project has progressed by only 3 per cent till date against the target of 42 per cent,” Prem said.

Senior Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) officials present during the review of the project told the minister that penalty to the tune of Rs 4 crore had been imposed on the consortium of Geo Miller & Company Private Limited and Gammon India Limited for the tardy progress.

Acting as the nodal agency for the project, BUIDCo had selected the consortium in February 2012 for executing the project.

Prem found the scheme of revamping the existing water distribution system grounded earlier on Wednesday because of alleged callousness of some Bihar Rajya Jal Parishad (BRJP) officials, executing the project. The work stopped allegedly after the BRJP did not clear the dues of contractors despite receiving funds from the urban development and housing department.

The water project under the JNNURM has mainly three components — laying pipeline, development of overhead water tanks and a water treatment plant. “Against the entire length of 850km, pipeline has been laid only on 15km-stretch. The work on overhead water tanks is in progress only at 16 locations out of 72. Worse, no work has been initiated for developing the water purification plant on the banks of the Ganga because of difficulties in acquisition of 25 acres of land at Digha,” said Prem.

Based on the issues discussed during the review, the minister has issued a directive to the managing director of BUIDCo to take strict action against Geo Miller & Company Private Limited and Gammon India Limited to ensure that the project was completed within the stipulated deadline of March 2014.

True, the contractor slipped at times. Yet, land acquisition appears to be the biggest impediment in the progress of the project.

Except for the 16 locations, where the work is in progress for the development of overhead tanks, all efforts of the BUIDCo to acquire 40x40m at the remaining 56 places have failed.

With regard to the development of the water treatment plant, minister Prem has asked the Patna district administration to hand over 25 acres of land at an alternative location on the banks of the Ganga.