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Vol. XXVII No. 9, August 16-31, 2017

If announcements were horses

by A Special Correspondent

The recent flurry of announcements of schemes being contemplated by the Tamil Nadu government should gladden the hearts of Chennai residents. When completed, and if done so on time, these schemes should make a noticeable difference to the quality of life in greater Chennai. Closer study of the information provided on the projects and our experience of the track record of public agencies in project execution suggest that celebration must wait till we feel assured, by actual prompt follow-up action, that transformation of announcements into tangible facilities and services is going to be different this time.

The most important of these schemes is the Rs. 1,442 crore proposal to shut down the vast dump yards in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. The scheme envisages stoppage of further dumping, remediation of the existing accumulated dump over time, revamping the present conservancy process and setting up two plants to convert waste to energy, thereby absorbing, we presume, the current incoming waste as well as gradual conversion of the accumulated heap. It is expected that in a period of 15 months the waste heaps would be fully degraded, biologically and chemically.

The heap conversion may be a slower process as it was not subject to proper segregation before dumping. Segregation is crucial to the efficient working of the conversion plants and as such would require the arm of the law for strict enforcement. Without this and related infrastructural support for segregation and conveyance, the conversion facility would be rendered infructuous. Awareness and proactive cooperation are elements of responsible citizenry.

Another important aspect that could make or mar the waste-to-energy conversion project relates to its financial feasibility and sufficiency of returns to the investor. There are many imponderables and “immeasurables” in a project of this nature where everything depends on cooperation of a large multitude and a massive collection system. The output of energy is the source of revenue to the contractor, but the output ratio is conditioned by the composition of the input. Under such uncertainties appropriate protection of return is necessary to the investor and toward this a different contractual model may have to be adopted from the normal. A guaranteed margin over actual cost as the basis for pricing the energy seems more likely to be mutually beneficial both to the government and to the investor. If such an approach leads, as it might, to a higher cost of energy bought from the contractor compared to other sources this must be treated as a conscious subsidy for creating a hygienic environment. The social returns are in the form of healthier surroundings. Waste-to-energy should not flounder on the rocks of financial returns.

The second project is the Tamil Nadu Infrastructural Financial Services Ltd.’s commissioning of a study to formulate a plan for solid waste management in the city on a public-private partnership basis. This appears to be meant for taking forward the main project for revamping present conservancy services. As part of this package, the extent of contamination of the aquifer and the areas affected in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi will be assessed. It has been known for a long time that the ground water in the Kodungaiyur and Perungudi areas are contaminated and the atmosphere has a high percentage of particulates. It is surprising that the need to measure it has been realised only now. What have we been doing all these years? All this does not inspire much confidence in the minds of the lay public over the Government’s seriousness. Appointment of a Committee is an age-old trick to create an aura of action without taking it.

The third important plan is the Cooum river restoration of the last 32 km of the river’s 72 km stretch. The scheme would include de-silting, marking and defending boundaries, resettlement of 55 slums along the river bed, solid waste removal, laying interceptors, installation of sewage treatment plants, expanding an underground sewage system and providing cycle tracks and walk-ways. That is much more than cosmetics and is to be welcomed. But what about the Adyar?

While such announcements are good by way of reassurance to citizens that the Government is mindful of improving basic public services, they do not go far enough in terms of specifics to lend credibility. When would the Rs. 1,442 crore be sanctioned? What are the module-wise targets for completion? The Cooum restoration project does indicate a time-frame of 36 months, but there is no mention of the cost, when monies would be made available and when it would start. The report itself cites enormous delays in getting clearances from CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) authorities and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in executing bits and pieces of this project which has been going on for quite some time. Initiated in 2006, clearance was given only in June this year by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. There are four different arms of the government that would be executing different parts of this project and coordinating it could be a nightmare for the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Our anxieties and doubts are not unfounded, going by the track record of execution. The comprehensive underground sewerage connection to residents of Pallikaranai is in a state of paralysis and has so far suffered a delay of four years. The scheme was sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 58.61 crore in 2009 but work began only in 2011, after two years. It should have been completed by 2013 but there is still a large amount of work to be completed with the date of completion surrounded in uncertainty.

An example of bad planning and disregard for completion targets is the appalling state of parks in the city for which the capital budget was raised from Rs. 230 crore in 2015-16 to Rs. 280 crore in 2016-17 but there is little visible evidence of such an amount having been spent. According to the Greater Chennai Corporation, the city parks should have manicured lawns, ornamental hedges, walkways, children’s play areas etc. Most parks fall short of these standards and you cannot but feel that the park project provides scope for exploitation by unscrupulous intermediaries free from fear of detection.

Besides tardy implementation, it is surprising that, amidst paucity of funds, even budgeted funds are surrendered unutilised – example of Rs. 446 crore unutilised in 2015-16 for important projects like desalination and Heritage City development, cited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, is an English proverb. It suggests that if wishing could make things happen, then even the destitute can have everything they want. That goes for announcements. Loss of confidence in governance and lack of accountability to the public need urgent correction.

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