Govt hopes to construct sewage infra in 69 per cent urban

The government may take two more years till 2022 to achieve the target of constructing sewage infrastructure in 69 per cent of urban areas under the flagship scheme AMRUT, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The government's aims is to provide sewage system to 69 per cent of urban areas by 2020 from 32.9 per cent that prevailed in 2014 under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), he siad.

"We are in the process of now seeking a small time extension and it is our expectation that the entire scheme will be completed by 2022," Puri said while responding to queries during the Question Hour.

The work under the AMRUT scheme is underway. About Rs 32,456 crore has been allocated for the scheme, he said.

To another query, the Minister said Amrut covers 66 per cent of urban places.

"We are also coming up with another scheme Jal Jeevan Mission which will cover the remaining 33 per cent of the country," he said.

Public health and sanitation is a state subject. The Centre supplements the efforts of states and urban local bodies in providing infrastructure for basic services such as sewage infrastructure in urban areas through AMRUT, he added.

Under AMRUT, the minister further said the total approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) is Rs 77,640 crore including Rs 35,990 crores of committed central assistance.

Out of the total approved SAAPs, projects worthRs 32,456 crore (42 per cent) have been taken up in sewage and septage management. In the sewerage and septage management sector, so far, contracts for 685 projects worth Rs 28,589 crore have been awarded, he said in his written reply.

Of this, 150 projects worth Rs 2,028 crores have been completed, he added.