Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, convened a meeting to review implementation of directions given last week by Chief Secretary, Chairman, Apex Committee JJM J&K to Jal Shakti department.
The meeting was attended by Chief Engineers Jal Shakti Departments Jammu and Kashmir, Superintending Engineers of all the Hydraulic circles of the UT along with their Executive Engineers besides Civil, Mechanical and Technical Advisors to Mission Director.
MD took stock of action taken on CS directions including providing of remaining tap connections to schools and anganwadi centers of the UT thus achieving 100 per cent target within one month, tendering out of all works of JJM in six districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Bandipora, Reasi, Samba and Udhampur within one week, formulation of directory of all sources of Water Supply Schemes in J&K indicating location, discharge and water quality parameters, quality assessment of Village Action Plans (VAPs) formulated by Gram Panchayats and Jal Shakti, Public Health Engineering Departments by Water Resources Regulatory Authority and independent assessment of functional household tap connections provided during the year 2020-21 on sample basis.
Mission Director was informed that action regarding all these directions has been initiated and all concerned have been given necessary directions to ensure total implementation of CS instructions in the given timelines.
Mission Director was apprised about the present status of tendering process and ongoing works in the given districts by respective Chief Engineers who informed that, of 683 projects, 577 have been tendered out, besides execution of allotted works have obtained pace after improvement in COVID-19 situation. He directed the officers to tender out the remaining 106 projects in these districts within six days.
Mission Director also emphasized the need for technical manpower, requisite infrastructure and relevant machinery to be procured for accreditation of all water testing laboratories by Nation Accreditation Board of Laboratories (NABL).
He directed the officers to ensure that Annual Action Plan 2021-22 is implemented holistically ensuring that the schemes to be completed this year do not spill over to the next year.
Pertinently, Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship programme of Government of India to provide every rural household with functional Household Tap Water Connection (FHTC) within prescribed quantity and quality standards by December 2024. The UT of J&K has set an ambitious target of achieving the goal two years prior to the national endeavor.
The UT is planning to achieve 100% Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to its 18.16 Lakh rural households by September 2022. By the end of financial year 2020-21, the department had provided 9.98 Lakh FHTCs and is planning to provide 4.90 Lakh FHTCs during the current fiscal year. The remaining 3.28 FHTCs have been planned to be provided next year in order to achieve the full saturation of FHTCs to all households.
