GUNTUR: The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) works in Guntur district have gained momentum as the TDP-led State government prepared new proposals to accelerate progress in Mangalagiri, Ponnur, Prathipadu, Tadikonda, and Tenali mandals.
JJM, initiated by the Central government, aims to provide drinking water connections to every household in rural areas. The district has 454 villages, and currently, 1.5 lakh houses out of the total 2,33,171 households have tap connections.
The JJM aims to provide 55 liters of safe water per person in rural regions and has divided the works into three phases. In the first phase, villages that already have 40 liters of water supply per person will extend the project and lay new pipelines. In the second phase, the capacity of water pipelines in villages with existing water supply projects will be increased, and in the third phase, new projects will be constructed.
According to the project guidelines, the initiative, which started in 2021, was scheduled for completion by 2025.
According to official information, 30 works worth Rs 28.82 crore were allotted in Mangalagiri, 96 works worth Rs 33.43 crore in Ponnur, 175 works worth Rs 70.90 crore in Prathipadu, 98 works worth Rs 45.24 crore in Tadikonda, and 55 works worth Rs 27 crore in Tenali.
Out of these, only nine works were completed in Mangalagiri, 21 in Ponnur, 43 in Prathipadu, 14 in Tadikonda, and 27 in Tenali, while some works are still in progress. To complete the pending works, new proposals were prepared after the TDP-led government came to power.
The new proposals include 15 works worth Rs 8.94 crore in Mangalagiri, 20 works worth Rs 7.97 crore in Ponnur, 84 works worth Rs 70.30 crore in Prathipadu, 67 works worth Rs 90.70 crore in Tadikonda, and 11 works worth Rs 4.81 crore in Tenali. However, contractors are reportedly showing little interest due to delayed payments.
Out of the total works, 197 works worth Rs 106.89 crore have not been taken up by any contractor, and the State government has yet to decide on completing these works.
