VA Tech WABAG signs concession agreement worth Rs 575 crore

: City-based water treatment player VA Tech WABAG has signed a Rs 575-crore concession agreement under the Namami Gange programme which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga River in a comprehensive manner.

A concession agreement typically refers to a contract between a company and a government that gives the company the right to operate a specific business within the government's jurisdiction, subject to certain terms.

The pact was signed recently between the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and senior officials from WABAG, a press release said.

The scope of the contract includes engineering, supply and construction of new sewage treatment plants, renovation and up-gradation of existing sewage treatment plants, rehabilitation of pumping stations in Bally, Arupara and Baranagar areas of Kolkata, the release said.

WABAG Head-Global Capital Projects Swadhin Samantaray said, "We are delighted to sign the concession agreement for our breakthrough HAM order and embark on our mission to ensure an uninterrupted and unpolluted Ganga".

The project was one of the kind which by bundling sewage treatment infrastructure along with green power generation and operation and maintenance for 15 years.

The recent order would help WABAG cumulatively purify over 100-crore litres of sewage every day which used to get discharged in river Ganga and its tributaries.

WABAG is also involved in treating nine waste water treatment plants along with entire river Ganga belt to reduce pollution from both municipal and industrial segments among others, the release said.