The Times of India 19.04.2013
Kerala water authority told to install pipelines
KANNUR: Chief minister Oommen Chandy
has said that a strategy will be formed to address the water needs of
the district and instructed all the MLAs from the district to hold
meetings in their respective constituencies within three days to
finalize the same.
"There is no fund constraint to implement schemes to resolve the water crisis in the state and if there is any administrative hurdles, that will be overcome to ensure that every person gets the drinking water," he said at the review meeting here on Thursday to evaluate the measures taken to handle the drought situation in the district as well as the drinking water scarcity in the district.
Since the Kerala Water Authority have already prepared a list of 34 locations where the drinking water pipelines can be extended using the existing projects, the chief minister also asked them to immediately install the pipelines and provide water.
The pipeline extension would require 125 km of pipes and the entire work is expected to cost around Rs 12.6 crore.
He said the government has given administrative sanction to the project for installing distribution pipeline in Kannur municipality, which would cost Rs 29 crore.
"Considering the emergency of the situation, we have also decided to relax the tender process to procure the pipes and other items for the emergency works in the state and it can be purchased in the same rate that was given by the district level purchase committee last year," he said.
In response to the complaint raised in the meeting that the Kerala State Electricity Board is not giving power connection to some water supply schemes of the local bodies as well as the KWA as they have to get huge dues from them, the chief minister said that the KSEB has been instructed to give the power connection till May 31 even if they have to collect the dues.
"Our plan is to streamline some long-term projects, including the conservation of the water bodies, building check dams, cleaning of wells and also water harvesting apart from water supply schemes, at the same time addressing the immediate needs of water," said Chandy, adding that all the ongoing projects should be completed within a year.
The chief minister also instructed the officials to immediately give water connections to all those who have applied for connection in the Japan-aided drinking water scheme. He also asked the officials to explore the possibility of linking the smalltime water supply projects with this scheme.
Referring to Pazhassi project, he said the shutters of the Pazhassi dam should be repaired immediately and asked district collector Rathan Kelkar to monitor the work to make sure that it is completed in time.
In the backdrop of the complaints that the rate given by the authorities to the tankers that supply drinking water is less, the CM gave the power to the district collector to take a decision on the rate based on the locations where the drinking water is supplied.
In view of the festival in Kottiyur temple in May last week, the authorities have been asked to address the water needs there immediately.
The meeting was also attended by ministers P J Joseph, K C Joseph, K P Mohanan, Adoor Prakash and also the people's representatives and senior officials of the district.
"There is no fund constraint to implement schemes to resolve the water crisis in the state and if there is any administrative hurdles, that will be overcome to ensure that every person gets the drinking water," he said at the review meeting here on Thursday to evaluate the measures taken to handle the drought situation in the district as well as the drinking water scarcity in the district.
Since the Kerala Water Authority have already prepared a list of 34 locations where the drinking water pipelines can be extended using the existing projects, the chief minister also asked them to immediately install the pipelines and provide water.
The pipeline extension would require 125 km of pipes and the entire work is expected to cost around Rs 12.6 crore.
He said the government has given administrative sanction to the project for installing distribution pipeline in Kannur municipality, which would cost Rs 29 crore.
"Considering the emergency of the situation, we have also decided to relax the tender process to procure the pipes and other items for the emergency works in the state and it can be purchased in the same rate that was given by the district level purchase committee last year," he said.
In response to the complaint raised in the meeting that the Kerala State Electricity Board is not giving power connection to some water supply schemes of the local bodies as well as the KWA as they have to get huge dues from them, the chief minister said that the KSEB has been instructed to give the power connection till May 31 even if they have to collect the dues.
"Our plan is to streamline some long-term projects, including the conservation of the water bodies, building check dams, cleaning of wells and also water harvesting apart from water supply schemes, at the same time addressing the immediate needs of water," said Chandy, adding that all the ongoing projects should be completed within a year.
The chief minister also instructed the officials to immediately give water connections to all those who have applied for connection in the Japan-aided drinking water scheme. He also asked the officials to explore the possibility of linking the smalltime water supply projects with this scheme.
Referring to Pazhassi project, he said the shutters of the Pazhassi dam should be repaired immediately and asked district collector Rathan Kelkar to monitor the work to make sure that it is completed in time.
In the backdrop of the complaints that the rate given by the authorities to the tankers that supply drinking water is less, the CM gave the power to the district collector to take a decision on the rate based on the locations where the drinking water is supplied.
In view of the festival in Kottiyur temple in May last week, the authorities have been asked to address the water needs there immediately.
The meeting was also attended by ministers P J Joseph, K C Joseph, K P Mohanan, Adoor Prakash and also the people's representatives and senior officials of the district.
