Jaipur . Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that in view of the scorching heat in the month of March itself, the demand for drinking water supply will increase in the next three months. In view of this, the Public Health and Engineering Department and all the District Collectors should ensure systematic management of available water resources for smooth water supply in the state. He said that PHED, electricity and police administration should all work in coordination so that the problem of drinking water supply does not become serious and law and order situation is maintained.
Gehlot was reviewing the drinking water supply system in the state at the Chief Minister’s residence on Tuesday. He said that the District Collector should expeditiously issue necessary approvals under the contingency plan for drinking water system and the works of repair of hand pumps and tube wells should be completed as a campaign. He said that the District Collector should ensure that the arrangements should be smooth in case of drinking water crisis anywhere. He also directed for effective monitoring of drinking water related complaints.
The Chief Minister said that in the districts where there is a shortage of drinking water, information should be made available to the people about drinking water supply through newspapers and social media. People should also be made aware about this so that the arrangements remain smooth. During the canal blockade, proper arrangements for drinking water storage should be maintained in the affected districts and arrangements should be made to prevent water theft.
The Chief Minister directed that the Water Supply Department should establish a strong system for effective monitoring of water supply through tankers in rural and urban areas. Along with this, the control rooms established in the districts should be operated smoothly and control rooms should be established at the level of block, circle and regional offices also. Ensure disposal of complaints related to drinking water supply received through helpline 181 and other means with immediate effect.
The Chief Minister gave approval to PHED to take 421 hired vehicles and employ 2500 contractual workers for drinking water supply from April to August. He directed to complete the announcements made in the budget in a time bound manner for effective arrangement of water supply in the state.
The Chief Minister interacted with the divisional commissioners of Bikaner and Jodhpur, collectors of Ajmer, Dausa, Jodhpur, Sirohi, Pali and Jaipur and inquired about the measures taken for the supply of drinking water there and the approvals given under the contingency plan. He directed to keep the drinking water supply system smooth in the districts affected by the canal blockade.
Public Health Engineering Minister Dr. Mahesh Joshi said that laboratories have been set up to solve the problem of contaminated drinking water. Tool kits have been provided for water testing at Panchayat level. He said that the budget announcement of Rs 283 crore for replacement of pipeline in Parkote area of Jaipur would effectively solve the problem of contaminated drinking water. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Shri Ramesh Meena said that the water supplied by tankers should be ensured that the water is pure. Minister of State for Power Shri Bhanwar Singh Bhati said that the officers of Energy and PHED Department should work in coordination to maintain smooth power supply during the summer season.
Additional Chief Secretary Public Health and Engineering Sudhansh Pant informed that at present, drinking water is being transported in 234 villages and dhanis of 14 cities and 5 districts of the state. Sanction of Rs.86.69 crore has been issued for transporting drinking water by tankers in rural areas and Rs.29.11 crore for urban areas from April to August. Approvals for emergency work worth 50 lakhs are being issued on the recommendation of the District Collector. So far, 98 works worth Rs 528.91 lakh have been sanctioned in 11 districts. Shri Pant informed that a total of 3405 hand pumps and 1911 tube wells have been commissioned by the department in this financial year. Apart from this, 2559 hand pumps and 1384 tube wells have been approved, whose work is being done on priority. He directed the District Collectors to complete the contingency works of Rs 50 lakh on priority and transport them by tankers as per the requirement in the areas where there is scarcity of drinking water.
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