Piped water to 4,200 villages by 2009: IPH minister

Una, Mar 11 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Minister Kaul Singh Thakur today said all the remaining 4,200 villagers would be provided piped drinking water by March 2009.

Addressing over a public meeting at Kangar village in Santoshgarh constituency of the district, he said the government had sent Rs 1,750 crore drinking water supply scheme to Centre for its approval under the Bharat Nirman scheme.

Mr Thakur said the scheme would help the government in providing drinking water to 40,000 partially covered villagers of the state.

He said in view of the dry winter spell this year, the government was contemplating water shortage this summer, adding that since the new water policy and Control, Development and Management of Ground Water Act were in place, it would be possible to contain the situation.

When the Congress government took over three years ago, 2.06 lakh hectares of the agricultural land was irrigated, he said, adding that 90,000-hectare of additional area was being brought under irrigation this year.

The government had provided Rs 67 crore to Santoshgarh constituency alone for installing 75 irrigation tube wells and 31 drinking water tube wells, besides the Rs 13.5 crore Special Irrigation Scheme for the Beet area of the constituency, he added.

UNI AS HS KD KN1928