Out of 61 projects, not a single project taken up or tendered out in Bandipora division; 54 per cent households till uncovered or unregistered for functional tap water
Sajid Raina
Bandipora, Jan 01 (KNO): Ever since the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission in Jammu and Kashmir this year, not a single project has so far been taken up or tendered out by the Jal Shakti Department of Bandipora division in north Kashmir.
Sources told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that 61 projects were to be taken up under phase-II of Jal Jeevan Mission in Bandipora division, however, till date, not a single project has been tendered out or taken up.
They said that of the total 61 projects, detailed project report (DPR) of only a few was incomplete and needed some corrections while DPR of the majority of the projects has been completed.
Jal Jeevan Mission is an initiative taken by the Centre to provide safe and adequate drinking tap water connection to every household in the rural areas of the country by 2024 at a service level of 55 liters per capita per day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the mission on August 15, 2019.
Sources said that as per the guidelines the projects need technical approval from SE office and only then tenders can be issued against each project that is to be taken up. As per the details available with KNO these 61 projects will cover almost all the villages of Bandipora division and will provide functional tap water to every household in the rural areas of the division.
The 61 projects include major projects in Gurdal and Dathewas localities of Malangam village and the cost of these projects is 10 crore each. The projects will be taken up with the aim to provide functional tap water to every household in these villages.
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, four districts will be covered until March 2021 in phase-I while nine districts including Bandipora will be covered in phase II up to December 2021 and seven districts will be covered in phase III till December 2022.
As per the details 46 per cent of the households in Bandipora division has functional tap water at present while the rest 54 per cent of households are uncovered or unregistered.
Meanwhile, executive engineer Jal Shakti Department, Bandipora division, Abdul Khaliq said that they are at the initial stage of Jal Jeevan Mission in Bandipora and all the ongoing schemes and those left out schemes will be covered in the division.
He said that DPR of 61 schemes or projects, has been either completed or are under process and these schemes will cover almost all the rural areas of Bandipora division. He said that the unprecedented situation that arose due to COVID-19 led to the delay in taking up these projects on time—(KNO)
