In order to solve the recurring problem of drinking water scarcity in the three districts  of  Pauri, Chamoli and Rudraprayag  under Garhwal division, control rooms would start operating from April 1, said Uttarakhand Potable Water Minister Prakash Pant while presiding over a meeting with the officers of Peyjal Nigam and Jal Sansthan at Vikas Bhawan auditorium in Pauri on Thursday. He said that responsible officials should be appointed to run the control rooms. Complaints registered should be acted upon promptly and the mobile numbers of the appointed officers should be advertised for public through various mediums.

The Minister directed the officers to make fool-proof arrangements of peyjal on char dham yatra routes before the pilgrimage starts this year. The officers were directed to ensure that all the leakages related to peyjal are rectified to stop the flow of polluted water in pipelines due to leakage.  He also asked the officers to arrange tanks in the areas being plagued by the water crisis.

Pant instructed the officers to transfer ambitious Nanghat Peyjal line and other payjal scheme of the above-mentioned three districts to Jal Sansthan. He also stressed on Jal Nigam and Jal Sansthan to coordinate among themselves to complete the pending schemes.

In course of the meeting, the minister reviewed 1393 projects with the officers concerned. During the meeting with Peyjal secretary Arvind Singh Hayanki, Peyjal Nigam managing director Bhajan Singh and Jal Sansthan CJM SK Gupta, Pant directed the officers to draft a proposal on rain harvesting for their assigned jurisdictional limits and submit it to the state administration. While reviewing 1393 peyjal projects of Pauri, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, the Minister said that during summer session, around 148 peyjal schemes are likely to be affected due to technical reasons in 209 villages and 64 mohallahs. Steps would be taken to over the crisis in these villages.

The district magistrates of three districts were directed to deploy their Chief Development Officers to conduct joint inspection of the major projects and submit reports to him at the earliest.

Priority being given on Chal Khal schemes, the Minister asked the officers concerned to submit a proposal to the State administration, asking for funds to execute Chal Khal schemes.

Pant laid stress on completing the pending projects on a war footing while mentioning in particular ten projects which have been half completed. 

Earlier, Pant who is also the state finance Minister inspected the district hospital in Pauri and enquired into the condition of the patients. He inspected emergency ward and took stock of the availability of medicines. Finding a medicine having crossed the expiry, he directed the CMO to conduct inquiry into how an ‘expired’ medicine saw its way into the hospital.