Minister assures transparency in World Bank project

Ludhiana, Sep 14 (UNI) Punjab Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation Bikram Singh Majithia today assured transparency in the Rs 1280.30 crore World Bank sponsored Rural Water Supply and Sewerage Project which had been set in motion.

Talking to mediapersons here, the minister said that in this project, World Bank would contribute Rs 750.90 crore while the Punjab government would contribute Rs 240.45 crore. The contribution of the Central government would be Rs 207.20 crore while the contribution of the community would be Rs 76.80 crore.

He said that the project would be completed by March 26, 2012 and would supply water to 7.4 million people. Mr Majithia said that he would focus on accountability and transparency in the execution of this project so that people living in remote villages enjoy the fruits of this project.

He said that the scheme would be implemented on priority in those villages which were facing acute shortage of water.

Mr Majithia further said that the government would bring the entire Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes, Dalits and other economically weaker sections of the society under the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) so as to provide them with safe drinking water. The Minister said that a new project costing to Rs 363.48 lakh to provide drinking water in 55 villages along Budda Nallah in Ludhiana had been sanctioned by the government.

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