Vijayawada: Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan said that the govt is committed to provide drinking water to all villages under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) within a stipulated deadline.
Responding to queries raised by legislators about the implementation of drinking water schemes in their respective constituencies, Pawan said that he was pained at seeing people suffering for potable water even after seven decades of independence.
The deputy chief minister informed that he will personally monitor the revival of schemes to provide drinking water. “It is really painful to receive complaints about the non-availability of safe drinking water in many places in the state. I have taken the issue to personal prestige and set the things right. I assure this House that we will work with dedication to fulfil our commitment to provide drinking water to all villages,” he said.
Pawank said that there was no dearth of funds to take up drinking water schemes. However, he lamented over the dearth of committed leaders at the field level. He said that he took the Uddanam kidney issue to his heart and deputed international experts to find out the root cause after visiting the place. “I was surprised and shocked to learn that there are many places like Uddanam in the state. Many villages like A Konduru in Krishna district, Kanigiri of Prakasam district and many more places have emerged as new hotbeds of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). This is mainly because of over dependence on ground water which is highly contaminated,” he said.
Providing surface drinking water through dedicated canals is the only way to prevent the spread of deadly diseases, he said and added that the previous govt did not attend to any such issues despite knowing about the suffering of people.
He said that they would not allow people to continue to suffer for potable water anymore and informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working with a mission to provide drinking water to the entire country. “It will be our failure if we do not utilize the funds granted under Jal Jeevan Mission. This is my personal promise to all the members that I will ensure the early completion of ongoing works under JJM and also take up balance works as soon as possible. I will take steps to restore all the RO plants available in different village panchayats. I request the members to make your field level leaders strong and committed to serve the people with passion,” he said.
