Shimla to get Gravity Water Supply Scheme

Shimla, Apr 10 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the state government would explore the possibility of providing Gravity Water Supply Scheme to the Shimla town from the Pabbar river.

The Chief Minister while addressing the Shimla Beopar Mandal in a function organised here last evening, said the state government would approach the World Bank for funding the ambitious water supply scheme, estimated to cost about Rs 730 crore.

He said that the scheme would solve the water problem of the town.

He said the exercise had already been started and the planning was at an advanced stage to pose the same for funding so that construction work could be started early.

He said that to supplement the water supply scheme, the state government would also contemplate another Lift Drinking Water Supply Scheme from Sutlej river, which was likly to cost about Rs 130 crore additionally.

''Shimla is historicalLy important and a renowned tourist place which is visited by lakhs of people in all the seasons. To facilitate the tourists coming to the town, additional water supply is required for drinking and nondrinking purposes,'' Mr Dhumal said.

He said efforts were underway to restore the faded glory of the histroic town under different programmes, which included Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. He said that the peripheral towns were also being developed to accommodate the increasing number of visitors.

The Chief Minister said that tourism had been the major commercial activity of the traders of the capital town and the same was being promoted by developing more unexplored destinations.

Later, the Chief Minister was presented a draft of Rs 1.01 lakh by Shimla Beopar Mandal President Kanwaljeet Singh as contribution towards the Chief Minister Relief Fund.

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