Drinking water to be provided to 51,000 localities in HP: Ravi

Shimla, Mar 25 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Singh Ravi today said the government would provide clean drinking water facility to more than 51,000 identified localities by March 2012 under the Command Area Programme (CAP) 2003.

Replying to a cut motion by the opposition Congress members, he said under the CAP 1999, all 45,367 identified localities would be provided clean drinking water facility by March 31 this year.

Mr Ravi said drinking water supply schemes for Shimla and Solan towns of the state would be inaugurated by April this year as tests were being conducted now.

Referring to the channelisation of Swan River in Una district, he said the process would not be left in between and completed upto Punjab border in the first phase.

The work under the second phase would commence as per the detailed project report (DPR) and there would be no political discrimnation in its completion, he added.

He said since majority of the sewerage schemes were being set up under the Urban Development Department, the government had decided to allow it to maintain them.

The department was free to maintain them on its own or delegate its authority to any other department, including the IPH, he added.

The IPH Minister said 90 per cent work had been completed in the Una Sewerage scheme, while Santoshgarh scheme would be set up by 2010.

Referring to the setting up of hand pumps in the state, he said their number stood at 15,450 and this was likely to increase by another 2,000 which would be set up during the next fiscal year.

The Government had also decided not to inaugurate those schemes for which budgetary allocation had not been made, besides inaugurating schemes that were not completed, he added.

UNI AS PS BK VD RK195