Furore over inept handling of water, irrigation schemes

SHIMLA: The Opposition today lambasted the government over inept handling of drinking water supply and irrigation schemes with no long-term planning and supply of unfiltered drinking water through lift schemes to the people, especially in rural areas.

The police detain activists of the National Federation of Blind at the Vidhan Sabha. The protesters were demanding government jobs. Photo: Amit Kanwar

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 29

The Opposition today lambasted the government over inept handling of drinking water supply and irrigation schemes with no long-term planning and supply of unfiltered drinking water through lift schemes to the people, especially in rural areas.

Raising the demands in the Assembly today, the BJP legislators pointed out that the thrust on lift drinking water schemes had resulted in the traditional sources of water drying up and the requirement of the people not being met. Almost all speakers said there was no doubt on the intentions of IPH Minister Vidya Stokes, but everybody was taking advantage of her goodness and she needed to pull up officials.

Participating in the debate, Vijay Agnihotri pointed out that water being lifted from the riverbeds where illegal mining was done was being supplied without being treated. “No efforts have been done to construct check dams on dried rivers and khuds to revive them and also to recharge the water level,” he said.

Col Inder Singh (retd) alleged that giving out the irrigation schemes to private parties on contract and that too for six terms was nothing short of breeding corruption. He said the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department was plagued with shortage of pipes, pumps and other equipment, affecting water supply both for drinking as well as irrigation purposes.

Maheshwar Singh raised the issue of increase of 10 per cent every year in the water charges. “At this pace a stage will come when liquor will become cheaper than water,” he said. He added that the IPH Department was hit by shortage of water pipes throughout the year so the department must procure them right in the beginning of the year. Jai Ram Thakur said the water supply system was so faulty and inadequate that the demand for supply of water through tankers had already started when the winter had just got over. Govind Thakur said water tanks of the IPH were not safe, adding that in Kulli, somebody had mixed poison in the water tank. Stokes will give her reply tomorrow.