Rs 1 cr to every Assembly Constituency for drinking water supply: Revanth Reddy

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday announced allocation of Rs one crore from the Rs 10 crore Special Development Fund designated for each assembly segment, exclusively for drinking water needs.

At a review meeting on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy asked the officials to devise a strategy for addressing Telangana's imminent drinking water crisis next summer. He emphasized the utilization of newly created reservoirs, shifting focus from the Krishna and Godavari rivers for drinking water purposes, and urged meticulous planning.

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The Chief Minister said that it would be easy to provide drinking water to the nearby villages from the reservoirs at a minimal cost. The newly constructed Mallannasagar, Kondapochammasagar, and Ranganayak Sagar reservoirs would be used for drinking water, he added.

The Chief Minister asserted that Village Sarpanches should be tasked with managing the village's drinking water supply and ensuring that every home has access to drinking water on a regular basis. He also asked the officials to finalise the procedures for granting powers to the Sarpanches. The Mission Bhagiratha wing was assigned the job of providing safe drinking water to the villages, he added.

Revanth Reddy said that the maintenance of drinking water supply, taps, and pipelines in the villages should be entrusted separately to the Sarpanches. The Chief Minister expressed concerns that no one paid attention to the intra-village works and house-to-house tap water supply carried out under the Mission Bhagiratha scheme. He said that the officials had informed him about the issue of drinking water management in the villages not being under anyone's control. The Chief Minister cautioned that the drinking water crisis would aggravate if there was no accountability.

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The Chief Minister said that the previous government's claim of providing safe drinking water to every household did not prove practical for the state. Due to this, the Chief Minister said that the state could not obtain funds under the Jal Jeevan Mission from the centre.

The Chief Minister cautioned the officials to stop projecting the state as rich by suppressing the facts. People were still facing drinking water problems in many parts of the state, including Tandas, Gudems, and agency areas, he added.

He recalled that the people of Khanapur village had brought to his attention the drinking water shortage during the election time.

Revanth Reddy requested the officials to carry out a comprehensive survey and identify the villages and habitations facing a drinking water crisis. With the sarpanches' tenure set to conclude at the end of that month, the Chief Minister asked officials to assume responsibility for drinking water supply in the villages.

He asked the concerned engineers to visit all the villages and compile a list of habitations lacking a proper drinking water supply facility. The Chief Minister said that new proposals would be formulated and forwarded to the Centre to request funds under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to implement all necessary measures to address the drinking water crisis during the summer. Additionally, he asked the allocation of Rs one crore, from the Rs 10 crore Special Development Fund designated for each assembly segment, exclusively for drinking water needs.

The Chief Minister made it clear that the water available in all the projects and reservoirs in the state should be utilized for drinking water needs on a priority. He said that the Government would also pay special focus on strengthening the Self Help Groups by providing financial support.

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The Chief Minister suggested that women groups would be assigned the task of stitching uniforms for students in government schools, Gurukul, hostels, and the police. He added that necessary training would be provided to the women groups, if required, and arrangements for that would be made.

Chief Minister Revanth requested the development of a road network in the villages to connect all habitations. Officials had informed the Chief Minister that 422 Gram Panchayats and 3177 habitations still lacked road connectivity.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to prepare proposals for the requirement of funds in the new budget outlay. State Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Seethakka, Roads and Buildings Minister Komati Reddy Venkata Reddy, Government Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, and other senior officials participated in the review meeting.