Jal Swapna project: State takes steps to expedite work

KOLKATA: The Mamata Banerjee government is taking all necessary moves to expedite the work to ensure tap water connection at every household in the state under Jal Swapna project with the concerted effort of all concerned departments.

The state Public Health Engineering department is the nodal department of the project. But it needs to work closely mainly with Panchayats and Rural Development, Land and Land Reforms and Public Works Department for implementation of projects. Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi held a coordination meeting with top brass of the departments on Saturday to ensure that the work of providing tap water connection at households gets expedited and the "grey areas" get sorted out easily with joint effort of PHE along with the concerned department.

The Mamata Banerjee government has taken up the mammoth Jal Swapna project worth Rs 58,000 crore to provide tap water connection to all 2.5 crore rural households in the state. The project was launched in July 2020 and so far around 16 lakh households have been provided with the same under the project since its initiation. The PHE department is also eyeing to ensure tap water connection at 1 crore households by the end of 2021-22 fiscal. Citing an example, a senior state government officer said: "There is a provision that the Panchayats and Rural Development department can utilise 50 per cent of the 15th Finance Commission Grant for water and sanitisation. If it gets utilised for "operation maintenance" of the pipeline water supply system in certain areas or for supply of water at Anganwadi centres and schools, then the equivalent amount under Jal Swapna project can be utilised to provide tap water at more locations.

Such coordination and subsequent decisions in these regards would be taken". The role of the Land and Land Reforms department comes crucial when the PHE department needs land to set up water treatment plants, water in-take facilities and reservoirs. The Land and Land Reforms department helps in inter-departmental transfer of the plot if it is a vested one and in direct purchase as well if the plot is not a vested land. The reason being it needs clearances from standing committee, Finance department and finally of the cabinet.

Since the work is related to laying of pipeline for supplying safe drinking water, the nodal department also needs proper coordination with the state Public Works Department that carries out the task of road construction, repairing, strengthening and widening.

"The PHE mainly carries out the engineering part of the project and implements the same. But Panchayats play a crucial role for round the year surveillance for which a proper coordination between the departments is very essential," the officer stated.