Taking exception to irregular water supply and shortage of drinking water in some villages, district in-charge Minister Halappa Achar has directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted water supply by taking immediate requisite steps, including getting defunct purified water supply units repaired.
Chairing a progress review meeting of Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) in Dharwad on Friday, Mr. Halappa Achar said that to ensure that residents of rural areas got access to clean drinking water, Jal Jeevan Mission and Jaladhare water projects are being implemented.
The zilla panchayat chief executive officer and rural drinking water executive engineer should visit the spot and monitor the works. If there are major repair works at water pumping stations, they should be set right within a week and uninterrupted water supply should be ensured, the Minister said.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana, the Minister said that rural roads are being developed in such a way as to handle heavy motor vehicles.
On the shortage of doctors in primary health care centres, which is forcing village residents to visit cities for medical treatment, the Minister asked the District Health Officer to immediately recruit doctors.
He also asked the officials of Agriculture Department to become proactive and ensure proper distribution of seeds and fertilizers. Officials should inspect private fertilizer and seeds shops and see that farmers are not being fleeced. They should also check any sale of spurious seeds, he said.
Mr. Halappa Achar said that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has sanctioned a Deen Dayal Upadhyay hostel with a capacity to accommodate 1,000 students to the district and the officials should ensure that the construction work is completed in a time-bound manner.
Member of Legislative Assembly Prasad Abbayya referred to the problem of banks not coming forward to lend loans for beneficiaries of self-employment schemes and sought requisite directions to the banks from the government.
Kundgol MLA Kusumavati Shivalli highlighted the drinking water shortage issue and asked the officials to visit villages and come up with alternative plans to supply drinking water to villagers.
The work on a underbridge on Kundgol-Laxmeshwar Road should be expedited, she said.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Suresh Itnal, Superintendent of Police P. Krishnakanth, Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation Commissioner B. Gopal Krishna and other officials participated in the meeting.
