A tied grant, a basic grant and the committee that clears a district plan project

Background

A municipal wastewater treatment plant at Malappuram that has stayed idle since it was opened in 2020 is to be revived. The revival follows the approval of an upgrade project by the District Planning Committee, the body that clears the plan projects of local bodies in a district. Under the sanctioned plan, 50 lakh rupees comes from the Central Finance Commission tied grant. Another 50 lakh rupees from the basic grant will buy two tanker trucks, one to carry wastewater and one to supply treated water for reuse. The plant itself was built at a cost of 35 lakh rupees, and was opened during the term of an earlier municipal council. It went into use without the oil-and-grease separator unit needed for kitchen effluents, so it stayed idle from the start. A technical check put the cost of fitting an oil separator and allied works at about 25 lakh rupees. The project will now go for technical vetting, and after that to tender.