Minister Gulabrao Patil Orders Village-Wise Water Scarcity Action Plans By October 25 For Nagpur, Amravati And Konkan
· Free Press Journal

Mumbai: Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil has directed officials to submit objective, village-wise action plans to tackle all stages of potential water scarcity in the Nagpur, Amravati and Konkan divisions by October 25. He also instructed authorities to prioritise the completion and commissioning of water supply schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission that have achieved 75% to 99% progress.
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Minister Reviews Water Supply Preparedness
The directions were issued during a review meeting chaired by Patil at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai on Wednesday to assess water supply schemes, groundwater levels and preparedness for potential shortages in the three divisions.
Although the regions are not currently facing severe water scarcity, Patil stressed the need for advance planning to address the possibility of shortages in the coming months. He asked officials to prepare action plans after consultations with public representatives, sarpanches and gram panchayats, besides conducting ground inspections.
Jal Jeevan Works Prioritised
Patil directed officials to expedite pending works, including pipelines, pumps, electricity connections and transformers, for schemes nearing completion under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He also called for the completion and certification of package-related documentation for schemes with more than 75% progress to ensure the smooth release of funds.
For villages likely to depend on water tankers, he instructed authorities to prepare separate plans to strengthen local water sources. Works such as well recharge, farm ponds, cement bunds, contour trenches and repairs to old structures should be prioritised using the 2% provision under the District Planning Committee fund. Mineral and corporate social responsibility funds should also be explored for essential works.
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He further directed officials to visit villages promptly whenever complaints of water scarcity are received or reports on the issue are published.
Completed schemes that have successfully undergone testing must be transferred to zilla parishads or gram panchayats within a fixed timeframe. Local bodies must ensure proper operation, maintenance and payment of electricity bills, he said.
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