Gurgaon, June 22 (IANS): A sum of Rs.601.80 crore would be spent to improve drinking water supply in rural areas of Haryana in the current financial year, an official said here on Monday.

Alok Nigam, principal secretary of the public health engineering department, told media persons that at present 2,325 drinking water supply projects -- at an estimated cost of Rs.2,270 crore -- were in progress.

Meanwhile, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) administrator Anita Yadav on Monday said at a press conference that private builders will have to lay drinking water supply pipes before getting occupational certificates from the department.

Asked about the plan to supply water in newly-developed sectors -- from 58 to 115 -- where some families have started living in condominiums, the HUDA official said occupational certificates to condominiums would be issued only after laying of drinking water pipes, or if the builder gives guarantee to supply drinking water to the occupants till laying of pipes.