Plant remains on paper.

A Rs. 750-crore, 180-mld water supply augmentation project for the city at Kalamassery that was proposed in the previous budget remains still on paper.

The government had identified a part of the unused land owned by HMT Limited as the project site.

However, till recently, the public sector HMT was not in favour of handing over the land. A recent legal opinion sought by the government in this regard has cleared all hassles in taking over the 15-acre land necessary for building the water treatment plant.

The HMT had recently indicated that the unused land would be handed over to the government. The Kerala Water Authority official in-charge of the project said it would probably hasten the project towards the first phase of development, for which last year's budget had earmarked a sum of Rs. 358 crore.

THE HINDU