Lokesh promises safe drinking water to all households in 2 yrs

​Amaravati: Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Nara Lokesh said every household in the State would be provided safe drinking water by 2020.

Lokesh said Drinking Water Corporation has been constituted with a target to provide quality and safe drinking water to every household and the government would spend Rs 22,000 crore for this project.
The Minister made a presentation in the Assembly over the achievements in providing drinking water during his one year tenure as a Minister.

Speaking in the Assembly on Monday, Lokesh said the State government was giving top priority for drinking water and had spent Rs 17,011 crore during the last four years for providing drinking water facility to 6,197 habitations across the State. He said Rs 400 crore was spent in the last year alone for drinking water to 1,400 habitations.

Lokesh said 23,493 habitations were fully covered with 55 LPCD drinking water supply schemes, 24,425 habitations were without 55 LPCD drinking water supply and 48,363 habitations have to be provided safe drinking water.

Responding to the observations of some MLAs, the Minister said focus had been laid on the issue of supplying safe drinking water in gram panchayats. “We are using the method of ionization of water for purification of drinking water. After we started to use this method, there is 30% of reduction in OP (outpatients) in Primary Health Centres in villages. Unsafe drinking water is one of the main reasons for deceases in villages,” he said.

Lokesh also said ultraviolet water purification system would also be introduced to clean overhead tanks in gram panchayats by end of this year.

The Minister said Drinking Water Corporation was constituted with a target that all households must be provided safe drinking water by 2020. “We have estimated that Rs 22,000 crore has to be spent to achieve the target and prepared an action plan.

We will implement the action plan in two phases under hybrid annuity model. Around 15,000 km length pipeline can be laid connecting thousands of households in all districts,” he said. The government was considering handing over the maintenance of NTR Sujala scheme to the self-help groups for better and effective maintenance.

Responding to the allegations made against him by opposition parties, Lokesh said he never colluded with anybody on any issue. “Some people say that I am giving all contracts works relating to drinking water projects to one contract agency only.

But, in fact, I am doing all these things in a systematic manner,” he said.Stating that he can do business if he wants to earn money, Lokesh appealed to the opposition parties not to blame him without evidence. He also said, “Super seniors in the TDP would provide guidance to me if I fail to tread the right path,” he said.