Nara Lokesh directs Rural Water Supply officials to create 103 water clusters
VIJAYAWADA: Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Nara Lokesh has directed the Rural Water Supply officials to create 103 clusters in next six months under NTR Sujala Scheme and take up construction of 103 mother plants with 2,655 rural dispensing units at a cost of `221 crore.
In a review meeting on Monday, Lokesh warned the officials against any negligence in implementation of the NTR Sujala scheme. He directed them to appoint a special officer to monitor the implementation of the scheme.
According to officials, in Uddanam region of Srikakulam district, seven mother plants have been set up as planned and 36 rural dispensing units were ready and the remaining one will start functioning by the end of June.
Similarly in Kuppam of Chittoor district, construction of 15 mother plants has been completed and 166 of
182 proposed rural dispensing units were ready. All of them are expected to start functioning by June end. The officials informed the minister that Jalavani Call Centre has received 9,324 complaints this year so far, of which 4,500 complaints have been redressed and other complaints are being addressed. Eighty per cent of the people who lodged complaint with Jalavani expressed satisfaction over the speedy response, they explained.
Lokesh also took stock of the sanitation works in rural areas and directed the officials to take up construction of covers for side drains in the villages with 2000-5000 population with an outlay of `600 crore. He asked the officials to take steps to avoid water stagnation on the roads and ensure all the drains are desilted form time to time.
According to him, 12,767 villages, that is 99.3 percent villages in the State, have been declared Open Defecation Free and of them, 89.7 per cent have been geo-tagged. Officials were also asked to come up with an action plan for constructing solid and liquid waste management units in the villages for making them ODF plus.