AMRUT 2.0: Central team visits Rajgarh, reviews water supply scheme

Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 3

A Central team of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation, visited Rajgarh to review the progress of the lift water supply scheme of the Rajgarh nagar panchayat sanctioned under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 recently.

Catering to a population of 5,914 people, the scheme, when commissioned, would benefit 945 households by providing 7,97,873 litres of water.

“Nearly 70 per cent of the work to commission the scheme has been completed, and its deadline is in March 2026,” said Jal Shakti Department Executive Engineer Mandeep Gupta.

The team, comprising Assistant Advisor Chaitra Devoor and AMRUT National State Coordinators Mugdha Gupta and Aritra Das, examined the progress of the scheme, which aims to provide round-the-clock water supply to the urban habitation of Rajgarh.

The focus of the team was to ensure 24×7 water supply to every household in the area, automation of the supply system, with a focus on metering devices, operation and maintenance policy for every five years and cost recovery through water charges, besides ensuring new connections and augmenting existing connections.

State coordinator Rakesh Prashar elaborated upon various aspects of the Rs 5.46 crore scheme sanctioned in 2022. In addition to the field visit, the team also reviewed the progress of various clearances sought by the department.

Though the deadline for the scheme is 2026, officials are hopeful of commissioning it in the next few months.

The staff was asked to take the remaining requisite steps, especially pertaining to operations and maintenance.

Key aspects such as steps taken to curb non-revenue water — water that is pumped and then lost or unaccounted for — and online billing were discussed.

Eleven projects have been sanctioned under AMRUT 2.0 to urban local bodies of the state — Theog, Sunni, Rampur, Dalhousie, Amb, Bhuntar, Nahan, Baijnath, Arki, Nirmand and Palampur.