Delhi STP Tender Decisions Finalised in 2021 Before Jain Arrest: Sources

Key decisions regarding the multi-crore tender for the augmentation and upgrade of Delhi's sewage treatment plants were taken in 2021, months prior to the arrest of former Delhi water minister Satyendar Jain in May 2022, according to government sources in New Delhi.

The project processing commenced in August 2021, followed by a formal proposal submitted on October 7, 2021. The proposal received in-principle approval from Jain a week later. Subsequent meetings were conducted later that year to examine technical specifications and related aspects of the project.

Following the minister's approval, deliberations in December 2021 led to a fresh cost estimate of Rs 1,546.3 crore. The project aimed to expand the capacity of the sewage treatment plants from 215 million gallons per day (MGD) to 297 MGD.

Key meetings to finalise the terms of reference were held on December 21 and December 23, 2021. These sessions were attended by Jain, the then consultant Ankit Srivastava, and the then Delhi Jal Board chief executive officer Udit Prakash Rai.

The formal tender notice was subsequently issued in February 2022, with multiple corrigendums released in April 2022. Technical bids for the project were opened in mid-May 2022 and cleared by the end of the month.

According to sources, the approval of the technical bids allegedly eliminated competition to favour specific companies. The tenders were split across two distinct categories of work: one covering the augmentation and upgrade of the treatment plants, and the other limited strictly to upgrade works.

Jain was later arrested in connection with a different case on May 30, 2022, shortly after the technical approvals were concluded.