--- Ravi / Aravinda , Chandrika Ramanujam ,From: Ravi / Aravinda Subject: Bilgaon Project: Common Funds CC: Vivek Gulati ,Vivek, shivania@umich.edu Srihari, chandrika, vivek, shivani -- this is for your chapters' Bilgaon coordinator.... Category: Common Funds for Bilgaon Project cost over-runs. Action Requested: 1. EB requested to approve Rs 1,27,000 from Common Funds 2A. MD Chapter has discussed and approved approaching EB for the above. 2B. Other Bilgaon-chapters (Ann ARbor, Austin, San Diego, TAMU) -- Default -- we are ok with this. (If any additional inputs are there please respond to EB in a week). If you have any questions/clarifications write to aid@vsnl.com ------------------- HI coordinators of Bilgaon in various chapters and EB (esplly Projects), As you know we approved Rs 10 Lakhs for Bilgaon and the village school donated Rs 50,000. AID-Maryland discussed the feedback and budget overruns in the CSH and approved further Rs 1,70,000 for over-runs. $1000 (rs 47000) has been recd as directed donations recently by MD and the balance of about Rs 1, 23,000 the MD Csh has approved to request from the common funds since this is an inter-chapter project and so far Rs 10 Lakhs have been contributed by 4 chapters -- Ann ARbor, MD, Austin, San Diego, TAMU. The main reason for over-runs are: 1) Remoteness of the village and lack of experience in doing such a big project that led to an underestimation of the transportation and civil work involved. 2. Increase in shramdaan time from original estimated 2-3 months to 8 months implied travel costs increased as well as food costs (Afternoon meal for everyone doing shramdaan and all meals for the Kerala group and outsiders who came to help for the 8 months) that were not originally included as they were thought to be insignificant. ALso 1-2 skilled masons from outside Bilgaon had to be paid for longer time and likewise the concrete mixing machine had to be rented for longer time etc. 3. One lesson learnt was that we had both local village involvement as well as from kerala, Mumbai and AIDers in the USA. But the local city and town involvement (in terms of people from Dhule or malegaon -- closer to Bilgaon than mumbai ) was not there. But after about 4 months of the project when people from Dhule got involved the costs began to drop -- as they knew the construction industry locally and pipes etc were made for us by local people at no profit. So some line items of the budget went less than the estimated cost and some more. 4. The turbine made by the IISc prof also went over the estimated costs. 5. We hadn't taken into account photo costs, inaugaration costs etc and these have now been included. The rough Budget (previous and actuals) is attached and explains the over-runs. There is also the latest visit report by Micahel as well as attached is a trifold on Land water and energy projects of AID. Hope EB can approve this quickly for common funds. There is excess energy and day time energy in Bilgaon that we will be planmning for livelihood creation activities etc and a follow-up project may also come to AID once I go back to India and figure out further program in Bilgaon. --Ravi