Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Dec 3: Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sukhnandan Kumar today inaugurated a Water Supply Scheme at Kardooh in Bani.
The project was taken up under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme which will benefit nearly 513 souls of Kardhoo, Searah and its adjoining areas.
While addressing the gathering, the Minister said that it’s the endeavor of the State Government to ensure equitable development of the State for which several development plans have been chalked out to provide basic amenities to the people at their door step.
The objective of PHE department is to provide clean drinking water to each and every household with special focus on far flung and remote areas, he added. He further said that more schemes will be launched in these areas to mitigate the water scarcity problem.
MLA Bani Jeewan Lal raised the demand of saving fertile and cultivable land from floods and informed the minister that several projects have been submitted in the Department of Flood Control to stop soil erosion.
MLA further demanded to restore the Phandaar – Kharwah – Talanghar irrigation canal to give maximum benefit to the farmers as it is their long pending demand and will ultimately solve the irrigation problem. Jeewan Lal further explained that Dhaggar, Kanthal, Kharwah and Lohang areas have natural beauty in abundance and can be explored for tourism .
Minister after hearing the problems reiterated the commitment of the Government to provide clean and safe drinking water to people and ensured that steps are afoot to augment water supply in all these areas.
Later, the Minister laid foundation stone of Water Testing Laboratory at Bani which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 10.18 lakh.
On this occasion MLA Jeewan Lal while highlighting the problems of the people informed that the water scarce areas like Tanekhi, Jandeyah and Sarpathi need to be covered under new water supply schemes.
The Minister informed that Government is stressing on strengthening of PHE infrastructure to cover more water deficient areas . He said presently 20 water supply schemes were taken up out of which 5 schemes will be completed by the end of this financial year.
He called upon the need to install plastic water tanks at accessible community points keeping in mind the nature of scattered population of Bani. The minister assured that the remaining funding of 16.5 lakhs for water supply scheme Durungal will be made available in the current financial year for the completion of this scheme and toilets made under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan will be provided with PHE connections.
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