Jagan calls for linking ponds to canals to prevent water shortage in AP

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday directed the officials to interlink ponds to canals and said water shortage can be prevented if every pond can be linked to canals and feeder channels in the next five years.

During a review meeting held at the camp office here on Monday, the Chief Minister instructed the officials to expedite the construction of buildings for RBKs, digital libraries, village secretariats, and village clinics. He directed the officials to prepare a plan to ensure there is no delay in uploading bills and making payments in regard to MGNREGS works and asked them to appoint a special officer in New Delhi for it if necessary.

Borewells and roads

The Chief Minister said the state government will provide bores, motors, and pipes to eligible farmers under the YSR Jala Kala scheme. He said there should be one rig in every constituency. The officials informed the Chief Minister that they have laid 13,245 borewells so far at a cost of Rs. 4.5 lakh for each bore. Jagan instructed the officials to prepare SOPs to ensure transparency in paying money for drilling bores directly to the farmers' accounts (through the DBT system). The state is providing borewells for free to all eligible farmers with five acres of land. Meanwhile, drilling is free for farmers with 5-10 acres of land.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to give sanctions to invite tenders for the construction of roads in rural areas. He said the works should start by 15 to 20 May and added that the repair and construction of roads under the panchayat raj department should be completed on a priority basis.

Sanitation and water

Jagan instructed the officials to prioritise maintenance of sewers and collection of garbage in the villages and said all works under solid waste management should be completed by October. The officials informed the Chief Minister that they will keep two crore dustbins ready by October. The Chief Minister instructed the officials to take up liquid waste management in all panchayats across the state in a phased manner. The officials said they will set up 46 liquid treatment plants at first and then 632 desludging machines.

They also informed the Chief Minister that arrangements have been made to supply water to areas facing water shortage in the wake of summer. The action plan is ready for water supply till July, they added. Jagan said that special arrangements were made to supply drinking water in salinity-impacted areas of Godavari districts, fluoride-impacted Uddanam, Uranium-impacted areas in YSR district, Prakasam, Palnadu, and west of Chittoor.