Chief Secretary P Subramaniam, Additional Chief Secretary V Ranganathan along with others held a meeting with Municipal Commissioner Rajiv Agarwal and other top officials to review the privatisation of the ambitious water supply project. The meeting also deliberated on issues related to traffic and transport management.

Agarwal told media persons that a time-bound programme had been submitted to the officials according to which the Kirloskar consultants (who were redrafting the project report) were expected to submit the revised one by December 31. Following the submission of the report, the standing committee and the general body's approval would be sought by February-end next year after which the fresh tenders would be issued by March 31, Agarwal said.

It may be recalled that civic body was facing intense pressure from the State Government to select any one of the six consortia of Indian and foreign companies - despite their earlier tenders being formally cancelled - Today's high-profile meeting in the city has made its thinking clear regarding priority to private sector participation in the project.

According to highly placed sources, the civic body was asked to submit its say regarding the financial feasibility of the project, details about how would it raise the money and whether the project should be conducted on a build operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

Privatisation of works like billing, leak detection and others is required at all costs towards proper maintenance and efficiency. It was also suggested that the components related to sewerage should not be cut down in the revised report failing which the irrigation department would be required to treat the water.

Meanwhile, Suhas Kulkarni, BJP leader in the PMC submitted a letter to the Chief Secretary demanding a judicial inquiry to probe whether the tenders issued by the PMC were as per the government resolution dated May 27, 1998 or not. It may be recalled that corporators had alleged that when the State Government had sanctioned the project on May 28, how is it that the PMC had issued tender notices and forms on April 27, 1998 without taking the general body's approval.