IMPHAL, Oct 28: Manipur government has sought a package of Rs 118 crore from the Centre to repair water sources and water pipelines which were damaged during the violence unfolding in the state since May 3 last.
Addressing the media at his office chamber in Imphal on Saturday, Manipur PHE minister Leishangthem Sushildro said that several water sources in the hills and its peripheries were damaged in the incidents of violence.
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“A good number of pipelines of the water supply plants were also destroyed,” he added.
He said that FIRs were registered at various police stations in connection with the damages of the water sources and pipelines so as to book the culprits.
In the meantime, officials of the PHE department have carried out surveys regarding damages caused to the water sources and pipelines of the various water supply plants.
During the survey, multiple damages in the water sources and pipelines were found. Singda Dam, one of the main sources of water for various water supply plants in Imphal West including the capital city, remained defunct since the outbreak of the violence, the minister said.
Efforts are on to make the Dam functional again, he added.
He said that maximum damages of water sources and pipelines were detected in Bishnupur and Imphal West districts.
To repair the damaged water sources and pipelines, the PHE department prepared a project with an estimated cost of Rs 118 crore.
The draft project proposal has been submitted to the concerned Union ministry while seeking funds for the implementation of the project, he said.
He said the project emphasized on digging public ponds and expansion of already existing public ponds which can be used as water sources for the village or local level water supply schemes.
He hoped that the Centre will approve the project and sanction the fund for early implementation of the same.
At the same time, the minister added that his department is working hard to continue implementation of the Central sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission and achieve the target of the mission which is to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections in all households in rural areas.
Delay in holding of elections to the panchayat bodies even after its latest five year term expired has also affected to the supply of the safe drinking water, he said while asserting that village or local level water supply schemes were functioned under water sanitation committees of each gram panchayats with pradhan as chairpersons of the committees.
As a temporary measure, the state government has entrusted MLAs to reform the water sanitation committees in their respective constituencies so as to make the water supply schemes functional again, he said.
To note here, the latest five-year terms of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) that covers rural areas of six valley districts of the state had expired in October 2022.
Not only the PRIs, the elections to the municipal and urban bodies and autonomous district councils (ADCs) in the hill districts are also pending as their terms have also expired. (NNN)
