G.O.(Ms.) No.12, Establishment of Five Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants on Pilot Basis, 2020

What the government approved

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (CGS.1) Department, through G.O.(Ms.) No.12 dated 6 January 2020, approved five pilot Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants to serve rural areas. The plants are intended to address fecal sludge from septic tanks used by households, apartments, schools, colleges, commercial establishments, industries and other institutions.

The Government approved:

• An allocation of Rs.5 crore, at Rs.1.00 crore for each plant.
• Use of World Bank Performance Based Incentive Funds received under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
• Guidelines for selecting locations and establishing the plants.
• A Technical Committee to advise on technologies, technical specifications and type designs.

Additional infrastructure funding may be combined with National Rurban Mission funds, Self Sufficiency Scheme funds or the general funds of the relevant local bodies, subject to the applicable scheme guidelines.

Areas and land covered

G.O.(Ms.) No.12 focuses on clusters of peri-urban Village Panchayats next to Corporations, Municipalities or Town Panchayats. Eligible clusters should have many septic tank toilets and lack access to existing urban Sewage Treatment Plants or Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants.

Priority may be given to Village Panchayats covered by the National Rurban Mission or identified as National Green Tribunal Model Village Panchayats.

For each proposed plant:

• The location should be accessible to all Village Panchayats in the cluster.
• Environmental norms must be followed.
• The Block Development Officer (Village Panchayats) must identify Poramboke land in coordination with the Revenue Department.
• The proposal must be sent to the District Collector.
• The District Collector must examine and approve the location, including compliance with environmental norms.

Who is responsible

G.O.(Ms.) No.12 requires the District Collectors concerned to select eligible clusters and send proposals to the Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj for sanction. Administrative sanction is to be given by the District Collector after confirming that the selection conditions have been met and after obtaining sanction from the Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

The Project Director of the District Rural Development Agency is the tender inviting authority. The District Collector is the tender accepting authority and issues the work or supply order. Execution is supervised by the Project Director and the Executive Engineer (Rural Development), with procurement following the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act, 1998, the Rules, 2000, and the stated Panchayat works contract requirements.