Dehradun: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reviewed the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission, its financial status and the operation and maintenance of drinking-water schemes at the Secretariat on Wednesday. He directed officials to complete the remaining works within the stipulated timelines and ensure regular, adequate and quality drinking water reaches every rural household.
During the meeting, officials informed the Chief Minister that out of a total of 16,555 schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, 15,540 have been completed. The mission has recorded an average state-level progress of 92.46%, while work on 1,015 schemes is still underway.
Regarding tap-water connections for rural households, officials said that out of a total of 14.48 lakh rural households, 14.20 lakh have already been provided with tap connections. Physical verification of tap-water availability has been completed in 9,796 of the state’s 14,979 villages.
The Chief Minister said the success of the Jal Jeevan Mission cannot be limited to providing tap connections. It is essential that regular, adequate, safe and quality drinking water reaches every household. He also directed officials to conduct physical verification of completed schemes.
Directing that ongoing and pending schemes be completed on a mission mode, the Chief Minister asked district magistrates to coordinate with the concerned departments and ensure that problems are resolved promptly. He also directed officials to regularly review the physical and financial progress of the schemes and set district-wise targets, timelines and accountability.
The Chief Minister laid special emphasis on the conservation and rejuvenation of drinking-water sources in the hill areas. He directed officials to take effective measures for rainwater harvesting and groundwater/source recharge. He also called for a permanent system to ensure the regular operation and maintenance of drinking-water schemes.
The Chief Minister made it clear that if unnecessary delays are found in the implementation of schemes, accountability must be fixed for the concerned executing agency and responsible officials.
Vice Chairman of the Infrastructure Monitoring Council Vishwas Dabar, Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, Secretary Drinking Water Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Additional Secretary Rohit Meena, Jharna Kamthan and officials of the concerned departments were present at the meeting.
