The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), in a statement on Friday, refuted allegations of irregularities in the leachate treatment deal entered into with Ramky Infrastructure to treat the polluted water of Malkaram Lake and 12 leachate ponds at the Jawaharnagar Solid Waste Management facility.
The allegations made by BJP corporator Devara Karunakar were reported in the news report titled, ‘BJP faults leachate treatment deal’ on May 3.
The work was given to the Ramky Infrastructure Limited (RIL), and not Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, as mentioned in the article, the statement clarified.
Tender for the work was called thrice, in June 2020, October 2020 and January 2021. First call was cancelled in view of high value quoted by bidders, and there was no response for the second. During third tender, in which three bidders participated, only tentative holding capacities of Malkaram Lake and the artificial ponds were indicated as 7,56,642 cubic meters, which was estimated by the EPTRI, and no leachate quantities were mentioned.
Tender condition mentions that the bidder should study, investigate and estimate on their own the total quantity to be treated during the period.
Based on the same, GHMC entered into an agreement with RIL for treatment and disposal of 8,49,781 kilo liters of leachate as assessed by it within a period of two years, and restoration and stabilisation of Malkaram Tank within a period of three years.
With regard to the leachate’s existence even after capping of the legacy dump, the statement informed that the leachate quantities were due to its accumulation till completion of the capping and anticipated add-ons during the two year period.
