Nagpur: Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd (VIL) has brought laurels for the city and has added another feather in its cap when it was rewarded with most coveted “ET Best Infrastructure Brands” reward for their “Smart Water Management in Nagpur”.
Chairman and Managing Director of Vishwaraj & Chief Promotor of OCW, Arun Lakhani received the award from Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of State – Road Transport and Highways at a gala ceremony held at Taj Palace in New Delhi recently.
The Best Infrastructure Brands Awards identified specialised infrastructure companies who have brought extraordinary changes in the infrastructure sector as well as bear the responsibilities and expectations of the various stakeholders. Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd (VIL) is known for its Orange City Water’s (OCW) 24×7 Water Supply Project in Nagpur, which provides water to almost 3.25 lakh citizens of the city and progressing towards providing uninterrupted, pressurised supply of water at every tap.
“This is another achievement for Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd and its people who are committed to provide fresh water to all citizens,” said Arun Lakhani, Chairman and Managing Director of Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd. “Nagpur 24×7 Water Supply Project on PPP model is now a case study for the smart water management. Bandewadi Sewage Treatment Plant is another project where the sewage generates wealth and the resulted benefits are shared with Nagpur Municipal Corporation.”
These projects are not just technical projects, he added: “it is more of a socio-economic project involving change in the mindsets, habits and lifestyle of people. People participation has to be ensured right from project development phase to ensure transparency in the contracting process. People representatives endorsing the project provide much needed confidence to the citizens.”
The Best Infrastructure Brands Awards recognises that infrastructure sector is one of the most important drivers for the Indian economy and the sector is highly responsible for actuating India’s overall development.
Nagpur 24×7 Water Supply was earlier recognized as the ‘National Best Practice in Urban Water Supply’ in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at launch of AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and Smart City initiative in June 2015.
Initiated by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Nagpur was the first city of its size in the country to outsource water supply to a private operator under the PPP model. Under the scheme the main objective was to provide 24-hour 100% safe drinking water to everyone including slum dwellers within five years.
About Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd:
Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd., a company that is envisioned to build infrastructure that improves the quality of life for citizens at large was initiated in 1999. It has emerged over the last decade and half as a corporate entity with core competencies in formulating and executing highly innovative solutions via the PPP route that are win-win for all stakeholders.
The company started its operations with BOT projects in the roads & highways sector from the state of Maharashtra and subsequently diversified into Water Supply (24X7) projects in Maharashtra & Karnataka over the years. Recently the company has made foray into Waste Water Treatment & Reuse Projects by securing a PPP contract for same in Nagpur. Slowly and steadily the company is engaging in expanding its footprint to States like Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, West Bengal, and Bihar among others. It is perhaps the only Indian company which has created its niche in Water Management sector in such a short span of time.
