Celebrate JJM as ‘Festival of Water’: Chief Secy

Srinagar, Jun 7: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta Tuesday observed that the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) should be celebrated as the ‘Festival of Water’ across the UT. He made these remarks while reviewing the updated progress made under it by the concerned department.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Jal Shakti Department, Ashok Kumar Parmar; CEO JJM, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah; Chief Engineers from both the divisions and other officers of the department.
The Chief Secretary emphasized upon the officers to take the mission to every village of the UT and ensure that each household gets tap connection at the culmination of this mission. He advised them that they should take advantage of the historical wisdom of villagers for locating the best water sources for optimum viability of each project. He asked them to take feedback from public and Pani Samities to ensure transparency in the execution of works.
Dr Mehta also emphasized upon them to utilize the manpower efficiently and hire the requisite staff for proper planning, supervision and timely completion of projects. He underscored the need of mapping projects as per the concerned field staff so that there is a sense of ownership of works in them. He maintained that each of them should be made responsible for delivering their works on time.
The Chief Secretary encouraged both the Chief Engineers to plan creatively for creating history of providing drinking water to each household. He made out that Jal Jeevan Mission 2022-23 should go down as remarkable period in the annals of history. He said that he is confident that the mission would be taken to its logical conclusion by the officers and thereby making their contribution to the department unforgettable.
The Chief Secretary was informed that out of the 3267 works scheduled to be completed under the mission, 3253 had been tendered out. It was further said that tenders for 1654 works had been opened and allotment against 174 works already recommended by the concerned District Jal Jeevan Missions.
The meeting was also apprised that 60 Bore-wells in Kathua, 22 Over Head Tanks (OHTs) in Jammu are going to be awarded today itself. It was revealed that the mission envisages to complete 1162 Bore-wells/Tube wells, 507 OHTs, 457 Rapid Sand Filtration Plants besides Service Reservoirs and laying of thousands of Kilometers of pipes has to be done under the Mission.
Pertinent to mention here that the mission has been launched by GoI with an aim to provide functional tap water connection to every household. In J&K UT more than 1 million households are slated to be provided with the functional tap water connections under this mission with an earmarked amount of more than Rs 10000 crores.
Moreover J&K has achieved 100% coverage of institutions like Schools, Anganwadi Centres, Health Centres in rural areas and has received praise from the Government of India for this notable feat.