WATER WOES OF 13L PEOPLE OF BIKANER WILL BE RESOLVED: CM

Bikaner: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Friday that the drinking water problem of about 13 lakh people of Bikaner city and 32 surrounding villages would be permanently resolved through the Urban Restructured Water Supply Scheme. Gehlot addressed the foundation stone laying ceremony of water supply scheme at Ravindra Rangmanch Auditorium in Bikaner. He said that this scheme would prove to be extremely beneficial for Bikaner. He directed to ensure its timely implementation and regular monitoring of it.
The Chief Minister said that the people of Rajasthan understand the value of water and have been managing it effectively. Describing the Indira Gandhi Canal Project as the lifeline of western Rajasthan, he said, “The Central Government should declare the Eastern Canal Project as a national project. This will directly benefit 13 districts of the state. Only 1 percent surface water is available in Rajasthan having 10 percent land area in the country. Therefore, its effective management is a big challenge. Despite this, effective work is being done by the state government in the direction of reaching door-to-door water supply.”

Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr BD Kalla, said, “According to the master plan of the scheme, works worth Rs 614.9 crore will be done in the first phase and Rs 798 crore in the second phase. Work orders worth Rs 176 crore have been issued for the first package of water supply scheme. He urged the CM for a permanent solution to problem of railway gates of Bikaner. PHED Minister Dr. Mahesh Joshi said “Providing drinking water to every household is the top priority of the government and efforts are being made to meet every demand related to drinking water in a time bound manner. Notably, Chairman of Rajasthan Agro Industry Development Board, Rameshwar Dudi said that under CM’s leadership, State Govt has tried to bring revolution in every field. MoS for Power, BhanwarS Bhati said that sanctioning water supply scheme on basis of plan for the coming 25 years reflects the farreaching thinking of the government.