Yogesh K Porwar
Gadag:Although the continuous water supply project for the twin cities of Gadag and Betageri was inaugurated back in 2017,ward-wise regular water distribution has still not been achieved,said Former Chief Minister and current Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai.
He stressed that municipal authorities must take serious steps to ensure proper water supply.
He chaired the District Development Coordination and Monitoring (DISHA)Committee meeting and the progress review meeting of various centrally-sponsored schemes held at the Gadag Zilla Panchayat auditorium on Thursday.
The MP said that despite preparing and implementing plans to supply water from the Tungabhadra and Malaprabha rivers to the Gadag-Betageri twin cities, regular supply to the public has not yet been realized, which is unfortunate.
He recalled that in earlier meetings, directions had been given to prepare and implement plans for immediate short-term solutions,but officials have shown a delay in implementing these directions.
MLAs C.C.Patil and S.V.Sankanur also held in-depth discussions during the meeting regarding the inadequate water supply and demanded immediate rectification.
The MP shared that he has been aware of Gadag’s water issues since his childhood in 1987 and stated that the continued failure to resolve it reflects poorly on the performance of the officials.
The meeting also discussed housing projects.MP Bommai instructed that officials must work proactively to achieve the targets under centrally-sponsored schemes and make sincere efforts to ensure housing for every eligible family.
He emphasized that officials must attend future meetings after successfully implementing the directions given in previous sessions and contribute to Gadag district’s economic progress.
The Joint Director of Agriculture informed the meeting that there has been a significant increase in maize cultivation in the district this season, resulting in a higher demand for urea fertilizer.MP Bommai responded that if the district and state present their total fertilizer requirements to the Centre,efforts will be made to ensure supply.
MLAs Dr.Chandru Lamani,C.C.Patil,and S.V.Sankanur held detailed discussions on issues related to housing, education,health,skill development,and higher education.
Under the Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) scheme of the Urban Development Department, construction of 3,630 houses is underway in the Gadag-Betageri twin cities.
In the first phase,out of 1,008 houses,248 have been completed and allotted.The remaining 758 houses are nearing completion.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (2015–2022), approval has been granted to 7,060 beneficiaries through RGRHCL,of which 5,066 houses are completed, while construction of 1,577 houses is yet to begin.
Under the 15th Finance Commission for the years 2020–21 to 2024–25,632 works have been approved in local bodies across the district,with 542 works completed,achieving 85.76% physical progress.
Financially, ₹96.58 crore was released,and ₹69.61 crore has been spent.
Regarding the Revenue Department’s social security schemes,the meeting was informed that the district has a total of 1,62,230 beneficiaries under schemes such as old-age pension,widow pension,disability pension, Sandhya Suraksha,widow pension for women without family support,Manasvini,and Maitri schemes.
As of the end of June this year,under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana,a total of 1,09,348 applications have been accepted,and gas connections have been provided to 1,08,219 beneficiaries.The process of issuing gas connections to the remaining applicants is ongoing.
Under the MGNREGA scheme,the district has achieved 10.63 lakh person-days out of an annual target of 23 lakh for the current year.
Financially,₹38.82 crore has been spent out of the ₹135.50 crore target.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin),work orders have been issued for the construction of 13,884 toilets, of which 9,436 have been completed. Regarding grey water management,590 works were targeted;236 have been completed,and 232 are in various stages of progress.
Out of 336 works taken up under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM),312 have been completed.Out of a financial target of ₹346.09 crore,₹243.13 crore has been released and spent.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) from 2016–17 to 2019–20,out of 5,748 selected beneficiaries, 4,924 houses have been completed.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana from 2019–20 onwards,38 road works have been approved in the district.Out of the total 167.28 km,161.40 km of road has been completed.
Deputy Commissioner,C.N.Sridhar,Zilla Panchayat CEO Bharat S,Deputy Conservator of Forests,Santosh Kumar, and officials and staff from various departments were present at the meeting.
