Mohali rural dept officials told to speed up work on civic amenities

A district administration was held today to review the ongoing works being carried out by the rural department. The officials have been directed to complete the construction of playgrounds in half of the total villages by the fixed deadline of March 2025.

A total of 154 playgrounds are planned to be set up in the district, and so far, work for 76 have been completed.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Monika Gupta said the rest of the playgrounds must be completed by March-end so that the youth of these villages could benefit from them.

Taking stock of the construction of 18 anganwari buildings under MGNREGA, Gupta asked the department to enhance the number to 26 and complete them without any further delay. As of now, a total of eigth buildings are ready.

Emphasising the importance of the rejuvenation of village ponds under the Thapar Model, the DC directed the rural development officers to bring at least a fourth villages of the total number of villages under updation. She said the current number, 17, was too low and should cover at least 25 per cent of the ponds.

Reviewing the construction of libraries in the villages, she asked the department to identify more villages in each block to send the proposal to the state government.

Interacting with the water and sanitation department officers present at the meeting, Gupta directed them to make sure all households are connected with tap water and liquid and solid waste management. She also urged them to sensitise villagers of the various techniques of disposal of liquid and solid waste.

Further stressing on the need to bring the whole district under the Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus category anganwari, she directed the water supply and sanitation department to ensure the proper upkeep of sanitation and other hygiene in the villages.