8.20 lakh SC families to get free water connections in Haryana

New Delhi, Nov 4 (UNI) In a pathbreaking initiative, Haryana has decided to provide free drinking water supply to about 8.20 lakh below poverty line and dalit families of the state along with free of cost fittings and a 200 litre tank.

Under the populist Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Scheme, 21.92 lakh households in the urban areas will also get similar individual water connections.

Cost of providing individual water connections to 8.20 lakh scheduled caste families shall be Rs 147 crore and similar water connections to 21.92 lakh families shall be Rs 366 crore, the one time investment, would be borne by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress Government in Haryana.

Total number of households in the state (Rural and Urban) is estimated at 37.12 lakhs, of which the number of rural households is 25.42 lakhs and number of rural households which have private tap water connections. The number of rural households, which takes water supply from public stand posts is around 22.42 lakhs, said Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, Minister for Public Health, Transport and Civil Aviation at a press conference here today.

These 22.42 lakh households are also expected to spend another Rs 300 crore as costs of pipes, float valves, ferule and water tanks for their own houses which involves a total investment of Rs 700-800 crore. The entire process shall also provide direct and indirect employment for 20,000 people.

Connection fee of Rs 500 in the rural areas and Rs 1,000 in the urban areas for availing this facility of individual water connection will be waived for a period of one year from November 19, 2006 uptil November 18, 2007. Monthly charge from households under below poverty line shall be Rs 10 per month or Rs 120 annually, he said.

Individual water connections shall be given to clusters/mohallas having concentration of scheduled caste population in the first phase.

''The idea behind this scheme is to canalise the 70 per cent water supplied through public stand posts which goes in waste costing Rs 100 crore annually,'' Mr Surjewala said.

Presently, government is collecting Rs 500 lakhs annually from the 22.42 lakh rural existing individual tap water connections. With the completion of the scheme, this amount collected by Gram Panchayat will remain them for the upkeep and maintenance of this system.

Haryana Government's next initiative will be on rural sanitation.

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