5350 habitants still to get safe potable drinking water in J

Srinagar, May 11 (UNI) As many as 5350 habitants in the Jammu and Kashmir are still to get safe potable drinking water, official sources said.

However, a comprehensive action plan has been launched under Bharat Nirman Programme to cover all the hitherto uncovered habitants in the state, they said.

According to official sources, safe potable drinking water facilities would be made available in these habitants by March, 2009 under Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, an important constituent of the Bharat Nirman Programme.

A comprehensive action plan involving a cost of Rs 2036 crore had been formulated for the purpose, of which, Rs 909 crore had been spent up to March end this year.

More than 1620 uncovered habitations had been so far covered since the launch of Bharat Nirman Programme, they said.

Meanwhile, Minister for Public Health Engineering Mohammad Dilawar Mir has directed all the engineers of PHE department to formulate new water supply schemes wherever necessary with provision of filtration plant, having perennial and dependable water source.

He said efforts were on to construct filtration plants for all such existing water supply schemes in a phased manner where this facility did not prevail till this date.

UNI BAS GT KN1407