From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Apr 29: With severe drinking water crisis looming large in several districts, the Siddaramaiah ministry has decided to hold day-to-day review meetings in districts to discuss the preparedness of officials to tackle drinking water crisis.
Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister H K Patil, who addressed the media in Bangalore on Monday, said the meetings would commence from tomorrow in various districts including Haveri, Belgaum, Davangere, Tumkur, Chitradurga and Koppal.
He said government had also formed committees to monitor the situation and asked officials to ensure that no village faced drinking water scarcity.
About Rs 800 crore was available with the government to tackle drinking water scarcity. "Funds are not a constraint to tackle the drinking water problems in the districts," he said.
The minister said officials will be held responsible and disciplinary action initiated against them if they failed to take immediate steps to ease drinking water problem.
Patil also instructed higher officials to issue notices to those officers who were on leave to immediately resume work to address drinking water problem.
As many as 702 tankers have been pressed into service in the State to tackle drinking water problem.
The government was also focused on recharging borewells and there were 3,487 borewells pending energising, Patil said.
Earlier, in the morning, several ministers and legislators called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence here and explained to him the gravity of water crisis and steps taken to tackle it in their respective constituencies.
More than 700 habitations in different districts have been receiving water through tankers.
A total of 125 taluks have been already declared drought-hit by the State Government.
Action would be taken against officials who have not initiated steps to recharge defunct borwells and failed to provide electricity connections to drinking water schemes, Patil said.
He also indicated that he had already spoken to Energy Minister D K Shivakumar and requested him to direct electricity supply companies to provide power connections to borewells and water supply schemes.
To address grievances related drinking water, the RDPR department has set up control rooms at State, district and taluk levels.
Nodal officers have been directed to receive calls and take steps to mitigate drinking water problem. Ramakrishna, Deputy Secretary, RDPR, is the nodal officer for the State-level control room.
The people, who have been facing the water shortage, can call toll free number: 1800-4258666.
Ombudsmen of all districts have been instructed to obtain reports of complaints once in 10 days to assess the functioning of the control rooms as well the department officials.
The Minister has asked task forces headed by legislators to review functioning of drinking water schemes in their respective segments.