The state government on Saturday imposed stringent restrictions on providing drinking water to drought-affected villages by tankers and bullock carts.
A senior bureaucrat said that in view of rampant corruption and irregularities in providing drinking water by tankers and bullock carts, the state has now asked all district collectors to ensure that only government-owned tankers are deployed for the purpose. “We found that while government-owned tankers were lying idle, field officials were hiring private tankers to supply drinking water. In several villages, tankers needing repairs were deployed, and hence drinking water was not being supplied. But now on, all government-owned tankers should be in order and private tankers should be hired only in case of emergency,” he said.
The bureaucrat admitted to the presence of a nexus between tanker owners and field officials, causing a burden on the state exchequer. “When we saw the bills for private tankers, we were stunned and shocked. We are determined to demolish the nexus,” he said.
The bureaucrat said that the state has drafted a comprehensive action to tackle acute shortage of drinking water. “We have drafted a plan till the next monsoon. We have galvanized our network at the village level. We are sure, we will be able to tackle the drought. Of course, we will require huge funds, but we will manage,” he said. The bureaucrat added that all the district collectors, particularly those from drought-hit areas, have been asked to draft a village-wise plan to tackle the situation. “We expect them to submit the plan by October-end so that we can draft a final action plan by November-end,” he said.
He said technical experts from the ground water survey and development agency have been roped in to assist the district administration. “We expect them to assist us in tapping new water resources or strengthening the existing one. Top priority will be given to providing drinking water. Existing wells will be utilized exclusively for providing drinking water,” he said. The bureaucrat said the CM’s Jal Yukta Shivar drive will go a long way in tackling the problem.