Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday urged upon the World Bank (WB) to sanction additional funds for timely execution of Water Supply and Sanitation Schemes (WSSS) in the water-logged areas of the State.
Reviewing the progress of WB funded various ongoing water supply and sanitation schemes across the State during a high level meeting with the members of WB Mission and senior officers of the department, Badal brought into the notice of WB that nearly 40,000 toilets were needed to be constructed in the water-logged areas and the cost of per toilet was calculated around Rs 28,400 against construction cost of Rs 15,000 in the normal areas.
He said that additional cost on the count should be immediately provided by the WB so that this gigantic task could be completed within the time frame. He also asked the WB to accept the claim for reimbursement as soon as the funds were released.
The WB team leader Srinivasa Rao Podipireddy updated the Chief Minister that water supply schemes have been provided in 317 Not Completed (NC) and Partially Completed (PC) villages benefitting a population of Rs 3.90 lakh under the schemes and the works have been started in other 194 water supply schemes for its strengthening and improved service delivery.