LAHORE: A Pakistani team has observed that the cost incurred on various components of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project (SRDP) in Ahmedabad, India, mainly diversion and disposal of sewerage water after treatment, is too low than that estimated by a foreign consultancy firm preparing a feasibility report of the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) in Lahore.

The members directed the consultants to visit SRDP along with the technical staff working at the firm’s country office in India, analyse cost and find how the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) managed it in such low cost, Dawn has learnt. The team headed by Commissioner Rashid Mehmood Langrial and comprising Lahore Development Authority Director General Ahad Cheema, LDA’s Strategic Policy Unit Project Manager Moazzam Sipra and technical expert on urban development Mustafa Kamal Chaudhry recently paid a three-day visit to SRDP, an initiative of Indian premier Narendra Modi during his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and returned on July 23.

Officials said the visit was beneficial with a view to executing the RRUDP. “We inspected the SRDP in depth and were given presentations from AMC senior officials as well as site visits with them. We saw how the AMC managed bringing water through a barrage in the barren Sabarmati river, developed limited infrastructure at various spots, treatment of sewerage water, its diversion and disposal on other sides to avoid water pollution on the 11km stretch,” a team member told Dawn.

Team set to visit India for riverfront project study

He said the team observed that cost estimation prepared by consultants for the feasibility of RRUDP was much higher than the money spent on SRDP. “Though our consultants are reviewing the cost they reported in the pre-feasibility report, but we have advised them to visit SRDP as soon as possible,” the official added.

When asked how the AMC managed its low cost, he said it might be due to availability of local vendors manufacturing and maintaining water treatment plants and other allied equipments in India rather than importing them. Since there was no such arrangement in Pakistan, the consultant might have added the cost of importing the plant and its parts. “But we have an alternative plan. If we have no such arrangement here, we could ask Indian vendors to help us in saving cost,” the official explained.

He said the RRUDP management would try to accomplish phase-1 of the project, at least riverfront, within a year after getting a detailed feasibility report from the consultants.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2014