Focus on supply of drinking water

Warangal: Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari has instructed the district officials to initiate steps to tackle the drinking water problem on a war-footing. The Deputy Chief Minister who reviewed the drought, drinking water crisis, works under employment guarantee scheme and migrations of labourers on Friday, said that western part of the district was reeling under acute famine conditions.

He said that government had identified 11 mandals of the district as drought-affected. Referring to the prevailing drought conditions and its spiralling impact during the months of April, May and June, he directed the officials to focus on drinking water crisis in the district, especially in the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation region.

“Funds are no constraint,” he emphasised, referring to the readily available Rs 20 crore under CRF and non-CRF. This apart, the Assembly and the Parliament development funds which the legislators and MPs are entitled to spend on their discretion have to pooled to address the drinking water crisis in the district, Srihari said.

He said that each legislator and MP had to allocate Rs 37.50 lakh and Rs 1 crore respectively from their constituency development funds, and these funds would be made available with the District Collector, he said. It may be mentioned here that there are 12 MLAs, five MLCs and five MPs in the district.

He said that plans were afoot to supply drinking water on alternate days from April 8 as the arrangements were in place to draw the water from Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme Srihari also directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all the villages that were merged with the GWMC.