Jamshedpur, Aug. 5: State water resources and drinking water and sanitation minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary on Friday assured for timely completion of the Rs 237-crore Bagbera-Chhota Govindpur drinking water project.
�Though a section of tribal are opposing the construction of the water treatment plant for the project in Bagbera and damaging the boundary walls of the plant. The administration will be directed to provide security while the private agency entrusted for construction of the project will also be asked to hire private security guards for the project� he noted.
The Rs 238 crore water project sanctioned by the drinking Water and Sanitation Department of the State Government would benefit a populace of over 3 lakhs residing in 113 villages in 21 panchayats of Bagbera, Harharguttu, Ghaghidih, Kitadih and Parsudih.
It envisages construction of a water treatment plant near Ghaghidih Central Jail and three water tanks. The project is expected to be completed by 2018.
The minister also said that department officials have been directed to complete the tender process of second phase of the Mango water project. Incidentally, government has already sanctioned Rs 35-crore for laying pipelines in the left out areas of Mango in the second phase. The first phase of the project has been completed at a cost of Rs 64.18-crore.
He also directed the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department to remove the newly planted trees from near the embankment of Sitarampur Dam in association with the forest department.
The minister who visited the Sitarampur Dam site in Gamharia in the neighboring Seraikela-Kharsawan district this afternoon issued the directive after an hour-long review meeting with officials of Subernarekha Multi-Purpose project and drinking water and sanitation department of both Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum district at Nirmal Bhawan here this evening.
�The meeting was fruitful and dwelt upon several issues. The drinking water and sanitation department officials have been asked to take up the matter with forest department and start the proceeding for removing the trees near the embankment of the dam as otherwise after the tree grow big it would develop porosity in the soil beneath and eventually weaken the embankment,� said Choudhary speaking to media this evening.
According to information, 500 trees were planted last year by forest department on the embankment of Sitarampur Dam which is the main source of drinking water for people living in Adityapur and Gamharia townships.
The minister also reiterated that action would be initiated against the officials who had given clearance for plantation of trees.