VIJAYAWADA: Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Nara Lokesh, has said the department will spend about Rs 900 crore this year to take up drinking water supply projects in the villages with no water sources. The department will go for solar-powered drinking water supply systems in tribal areas, left wing extremism (LWE) areas, SC/ST and other remote places.
In a review meeting with the officials on Tuesday, Lokesh said the government would use Central funds from ‘Swajal’ scheme. He said that 45 per cent of the scheme funds would be used for taking up water supply projects in the villages with no water source. “Use Swajal funds in convergence with our funds to take up projects in villages of Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Kadapa and other districts,” he told the officials.
Lokesh also directed the officials to establish new NTR Sujala Sravanti projects in 86 areas in Addanki, Chimakurthy, Kanigiri and surrounding areas. The estimated cost of the project is pegged at Rs 5.3 crore. “The project should be completed by December this year. The works related to the 103 NTR Sujala clusters should also be completed at the earliest,” he said. Later, he took stock of the underground drainage works which are in progress on a pilot basis in East Godavari, West Godavari and Chittoor districts. He directed the officials to complete them by the end of August. He also reviewed road works and said that link roads worth Rs 2,000 crore would be laid this year.