Punjab Minister for public participation in World Bank project

Chandigarh, Aug 27 (UNI) Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bikram Singh Majithia today underlined the need for launching a statewide information, education and communication' programme to motivate the rural population to join the prestigious Rs 1280 crore World Bank Water Supply and Sanitation Project in the state.

Mr Majithia was speaking at an International Conference on Rural Sanitation here.Delegates from World Bank and neighboring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal and from various parts of India participated in this conference.

The minister in his inaugural address advised the officers from Department of Water Supply and Sanitation to learn from the experiences gained by other states and neighboring countries in providing sanitation facilities by involving the local community for the successful and speedy implementation of the World Bank project.

Underlining the need for attitudinal change in the mindset of officers implementing project, Mr Majithia said that engineers involved in this project would have to become 'social engineers' to motivate public to become partners in this project.

Earlier speaking on the occasion J R Kundal, Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation said that since this project involves provision of safe drinking water to 3000 villages throughout the state with the assistance of World Bank, it becomes imperative to involve the community. He said that in order to educate and guide the engineers of the department as well as the members of the Gram Panchayat Committees, World Bank organised this workshop on sanitation in rural areas.

Earlier in the technical sessions of this workshop, Soma Ghosh Moulik of WSP-SA spoke on status of rural sanitation in India. S T Gopalram, Deputy Chief Engineer, TWAD Board, Chennai shared his knowledge on the sewerage system for Tsunami affected villages in Tamil Nadu.

Masudul Quader, DSK spoke on septic tank cleaning operations.

In the second technical session Pakistani delegate, Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah spoke on the famous Lodhran Pilot Project on Low Cost Sanitation in Pakistan. Harbir Singh of Effluent Equipments, Rajpura spoke on small bore sewerage system and treatment options in rural areas of Punjab, Anand Jagtap, of Community Development, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai spoke on building partnership with community for slum sanitation. Tashi Tenzing, Senior Sanitary Engineer of World Bank spoke on Sanitary Revolving Fund in Nepal.

UNI