Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has prepared a Rs 150 crore comprehensive project report for rejuvenating 500 lakes in seven districts under a World Bank-assisted programme, state minister Eshwar Khandre said on Tuesday.
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister directed the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the concerned zilla panchayats to expedite the lake development works.
During a video conference with the CEOs of Zilla Panchayats at his office in Vikas Soudha here on drinking water issues in villages amid the drought-like situation, Khandre directed officials to undertake desilting, bund repairs and raising, beautification works and repairs to canals under the World Bank-assisted programme in collaboration with Centre’s rural employment guarantee programme, VB-G RAM G.
With the lakes having dried up due to the current lack of rainfall, the present period is suitable for taking up lake and canal rejuvenation works, a release from his office quoted him as saying.
“If there is good post-monsoon rainfall, these lakes will receive water. This will help address the water shortage that may arise during the next summer. It will also improve soil moisture and groundwater levels,” Khandre said, stressing the need to take up the work immediately.
Under the project, rejuvenation works have been planned for 68 lakes in Bengaluru Rural, 67 in Bengaluru Urban, 44 in Bidar, 90 in Chikkaballapur, 49 in Kalaburagi, 96 in Tumakuru and 86 in Kolar district, he said.
Khandre directed CEOs and panchayat development officers (PDOs) to ensure that clean drinking water is supplied to all villages and that water quality is tested regularly.
In case of complaints about contaminated water, officials should immediately inspect the entire supply chain, from the source to household taps, and take measures to prevent sewage or wastewater from entering the drinking water system, he said.
He directed officials to speed up works under VBG Ram G in several districts, including Bengaluru, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Kodagu, where the generation of person-days has been relatively low.
With state housing schemes now brought under the ambit of the rural employment guarantee programme, there is scope to provide employment in urban and rural areas as well, he said.
The opportunity should be utilised to ensure that people do not migrate from any part of the state in search of employment, Khandre said.
Workers engaged under VB-G Ram G should be paid their wages within 15 days. “If workers do not receive wages even after a month, they will stop coming for work, defeating the very purpose of the programme,” he said.
Khandre directed CEOs to issue clear instructions to PDOs and treasury officials to ensure timely payment of wages.
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