Mamata unhappy over piped water supply proj, directs reassessment

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a review meeting with the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department officials at Nabanna on Tuesday and expressed her dissatisfaction over the piped drinking water supply project.

Banerjee also instructed the administration to prepare a new guideline for the laying of water pipelines.

Banerjee told the PHE department officials that in many places in the districts, the pipelines had been laid but they were allegedly defunct failing to supply drinking water.

She directed Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to look into the matter. Pant was asked by CM to re-check the piped water supply project in different places.

The department has been laying pipelines under the Jal Swapna project.

Banerjee during the meeting said that it was not enough if pipelines were laid but the department has to ensure that drinking water is supplied to every household.

“The officials have to re-examine the connections,” Banerjee stated.

She also asked the PHE department officials to appoint engineers on a contract basis if there is any shortage of engineers.

If the recruitments are made following the government norms it might take a year and the people will not be able to get water till then, Banerjee pointed out during the meeting.

“If any contactors show a lackadaisical attitude, steps should be taken against them,” Banerjee maintained.

The Bengal government has set a target of securing drinking water supply to every household in the state within 2025.

According to sources about 1.77 crore households in Bengal are supposed to get piped drinking water supply. The state PHE department has been carrying the project on a war footing. The PHE department officials claimed that 90 per cent of the piped drinking water project has been completed.

It was alleged that there was opposition from the Panchayat department against the laying of pipelines in some areas.

Banerjee instructed the administration to take steps against those who will oppose the laying of pipelines.

The Chief Minister has instructed DGP Rajiv Kumar to look into the matter.

The Chief Minister also asked PHE department

officials to ensure that there is no wastage of water from running taps due to not being turned off.