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Bengal

Now, upkeep, maintenance of water supply networks to be done by local Panchayats

The state Panchayat and Rural Development department has taken up a pioneering move to handover the distribution of water supply networks to the Panchayats for maintenance.

The move, which is the first-of-its-kind in the country, has been appreciated by the ministry of Rural Development which in turn has asked all states to replicate the same. This will not only reduce the cost of maintenance but also make the Panchayats more responsible and effective. If the distribution network is looked after by private agencies, a huge amount is charged and this can be avoided by imparting training to the staff of Panchayats.

The Panchayat and Rural Development department has taken up schemes worth Rs 8,000 crore and decided to supply drinking water to all the village households by 2019.

A high-level meeting to discuss the matter was held in the Panchayat and Rural Development department with the Sabhadhipatis of all the Zilla Parishads at Salt Lake on Thursday. Subrata Mukherjee, minister for Panchayat and Rural Development presided over the meeting which was attended by Sourav Das, Additional Chief Secretary in charge of the Panchayat and Rural Development department and Public Health Engineering department (PHE). Senior engineers of the PHE were also present at the meeting.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the two-day Panchayat Sammelan held on February 3 and 4, had asked the Gram Panchayats to take up beautification and other schemes and not depend on the state government each and every time.

In Nadia, water distribution network has been handed over to 29 Gram Panchayats who will maintain it. In Burdwan and East Midnapore, Gram Panchayats have agreed to maintain the distribution network.

Senior officials of the PHE said, drives had been conducted to make the Panchayats aware of the need to maintain the distribution network by them. Meetings are also being held on capacity building with the Panchayats and they are also being imparted training on how to maintain the water distribution system.

The move will slowly remove the age-old belief that it is the responsibility of the department to maintain the distribution network as well. The over-dependence on the department puts extra burden on the department thus resulting in poor maintenance.
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