Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 24: Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma today called for removing all the bottlenecks coming in the way of proposed prestigious Chenab Drinking Water Project so that the project is taken up at the earliest.
The Minister said that population flow in Jammu city has increased manifold, consequently drinking water requirement has also substantially increased. To meet the ever growing need of this essential commodity for Jammu city, the Chenab Water Project was conceived, but the project could not be taken up immediately due to certain hurdles. He directed the officers to make serious efforts to remove all hurdles to start the project expeditiously. He directed the Chief Engineer, PHE, Jammu to coordinate with the ERA authorities, which is the executing agency for the project.
The Minister was reviewing the progress of various on-going projects under PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control sectors at a meeting of officers held here today under his chairmanship.
The Minister said that there is no other sustainable project in Jammu city which will cater to the future needs, therefore, the Chenab Water Project is the need of the hour and it must start at the earliest. He directed the officers to take expeditious steps to complete the issue of land acquisition for construction of Water Station and Filtration Plant at the initial point at Dumi village near Akhnoor.
Pertinent to mention here is that the project has been proposed to be developed in two phases at an estimated cost of Rs. 771 crores. The first phase is proposed to be commissioned in 2016, which will be funded by the ADB under Jammu and Kashmir Urban Sector Development Investment Programme (JKUSDIP). The project envisages lifting and treating of 480 MLD water from River Chenab and water will be treated at CPC Muthi (Jammu) and then pumped to all distribution zones of entire Jammu city and adjoining localities.
The Minister called upon the Chief Engineers, PHE, Kashmir and Jammu to formulate sustainable visionary projects to meet the futuristic needs of people in all major towns of the State. He also stressed the need for taking necessary measures to raise the water table, especially in the dry belt. He directed for developing check dams for rain water harvesting, which will help in recharging the water sources. He also directed for upgradation of existing infrastructure to improve the efficiency of water supply schemes across the State.
The Minister stressed the need for strengthening the monitoring mechanism to complete the on-going projects in a time bound manner. He issued specific instructions for ensuring quality works strictly according to the laid down specifications and judicious use of funds.
The meeting was apprised that at present there are five mega projects underway under Irrigation & Flood Control Sector in Kashmir province at an estimated cost of Rs. 365.26 crore. Likewise, four schemes are in progress under PHE sector in the Valley at an estimated cost of Rs. 360.92 crores. These schemes are at different stages of completion.
Similarly, in Jammu division, there are four major schemes under execution at an estimated cost of Rs. 362.16 crore. Under PHE sector, four schemes are underway currently, which are at different stages.
Commissioner/Secretary, PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Chief Engineers, PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Kashmir/Jammu and senior officers of Planning Wing of PHE were present in the meeting.
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