Under criticism from several quarters for evading his duties as Potable Water minister and undertaking ‘Jagdishila Doli Yatra’ at the time when people of the state faced severe shortage of drinking water, Cabinet Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani claimed that he was actually doing review meetings with the officers during the course of his Yatra and took several public welfare decisions.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Naithani said that during the Yatra he unveiled foundation stone for 20 drinking water projects. The minister said that senior officers of education and potable water department visited many remote areas and interacted with local people for first time in their careers during the Yatra. Naithani cited lack of financial support from Central Government for incompletion of many drinking water schemes.
He, however, claimed that he has set up a personal target to make state free of drinking water problems by the year 2016. Naithani informed that the state government has demanded a sum of Rs750 crore for 124 drinking water schemes in the state. He was of the view that the state should tap its water resources and make numerous reservoirs to meet its drinking water needs.
The minister attributed the recent erratic supplies of water in many urban areas of state on power cuts due to which the pumps of department went silent. He claimed that the situation is under control now. On the sanitation drive he said that the state government has undertaken a seven phased mission of sanitation.
Naithani who also holds the school education portfolio said that the Government is seeking the help of private and semi Government companies to construct toilets in the schools and so far these companies has shown interest to make 1004 toilets. He accepted that 142 schools of state are bereft of drinking water facilities. On the contentious issue of transfer of teachers he said that the transfers would be done before the schools reopen after summer vacations.