The water supply and sewerage projects in Adityapur, which are expected to benefit 50,000 households, are set to get a push with the government agencies agreeing to expedite land clearances.

In a meeting at Jamshedpur Circuit House on Friday, urban development secretary Ajoy Kumar directed the officials of the forest and road construction departments, Seraikela-Kharsawan district administration and Jharkhand State Housing Board to issue land clearances for the projects within this month.

The Rs 395.14-crore water supply project is being executed by a joint venture of New Delhi-based M/s Jindal Water Infrastructure Limited and Calcutta’s SPML Infrastructure Limited.

The sewerage project, estimated to cost Rs 255.34 crore, is being executed by Mumbai-based M/s Shapoorji Pallonji.

Both the projects have a deadline of December 2021 and are being monitored by Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Juidco), a wing of the state urban development department.

“The urban development secretary, who is also the chairman and managing director of Juidco, held a meeting with the officials concerned and directed them to expedite land clearances required for laying pipes and other construction work in connection with the projects. The officials agreed to complete the formalities by this month. The private agencies have assured to complete the work within the stipulated deadline,” Juidco deputy general manager (works and planning) Alok Mandal, who was also present at the meeting, said.

A Juidco source informed that the private agencies had said they were finding it difficult to carry out the construction work in the absence of a no-objection from the departments concerned.

“At a recent review meeting, the private agencies had blamed the delay in land clearance for the slow progress of the projects. This had prompted the urban development secretary to call up the officials in Adityapur to expedite the land clearances at the earliest. Most of the officials have promised to issue land clearances within a week,” the source said.

The source said only 40 per cent of the Adityapur sewerage project had been completed so far while the water supply project was only 29 per cent ready.

Under the sewerage project, four sewage treatment plants and five intermediate sewage pumping stations will be set up.

Land hurdles are creating problems in the construction of the pumping stations in Gamharia, Hariom Nagar, NIT Adityapur and Asangi.

In the water supply project, land hurdles have held up the construction of a jack well and water treatment plants besides the laying of pipelines.

“We are looking forward to getting quality potable water and getting rid of clogged sewage lines by the end of 2021,” said Ashok Singh, a Tata Steel employee and a resident of Adityapur.