500 lakes in seven districts to be rejuvenated at a cost of Rs 150 crore: Khandre

Bengaluru: The state government has prepared a Rs 150-crore project under a World Bank-assisted scheme to rejuvenate 500 lakes in seven districts, including 135 lakes in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B Khandre has directed the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the respective Zilla Panchayats to take up the lake development works on a priority basis. Eshwar Khandre issued the directions during a video conference with the CEOs of all districts at his office in Vikas Soudha on Sunday to review the drought situation and drinking water problems in rural areas.

Under the project, lake desilting, bund repairs and strengthening, raising the height of bunds, beautification and repair of canals will be taken up with World Bank assistance and in collaboration with VBG Ram G. Khandre said the current dry spell, when several lakes had gone dry, was an appropriate time to take up lake and canal rejuvenation works. If the northeast monsoon brings rainfall, the rejuvenated lakes would be able to store water and help address water shortages during the next summer, he said.

The works would also help improve soil moisture and groundwater levels, he added. According to the project plan, 68 lakes in Bengaluru Rural, 67 in Bengaluru Urban, 44 in Bidar, 90 in Chikkaballapur, 49 in Kalaburagi, 96 in Tumakuru and 86 in Kolar district will be rejuvenated.

Khandre directed CEOs and Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) to ensure that all villages receive clean drinking water. Regular water quality testing should be carried out, he said. If complaints of contaminated water are received, officials should immediately inspect the entire supply chain, from the water source to household taps, and ensure that sewage or wastewater does not enter the drinking water system, he instructed.

Khandre also directed officials to accelerate works under VBG Ram G in several districts, including Bengaluru, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Kodagu, where the generation of person-days has remained low. With state housing schemes now brought under the rural employment guarantee programme, there is scope to provide employment across urban and rural areas, he said. He directed officials to make effective use of the scheme to prevent people from migrating in search of work from any part of the state.

‘Pay wages within 15 days’ Khandre instructed officials to ensure that wages under VBG Ram G are paid within 15 days.“If workers do not receive their wages for a month, they will stop coming to work, defeating the very purpose of the scheme,” he said.

He directed the CEOs to issue clear instructions to PDOs and treasury officials to ensure timely payment of wages. Department Secretary Sameer Shukla and other senior officials and district CEOs participated in the meeting.

The works would also help improve soil m

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