PHED aims to cover 550 villages under JJM in 1 year

PHED Minister, Jacob Zhimomi addressing the review and coordination meeting of the PHED in Kohima on February 20. (Morung Photo)

Minister seeks status of all ongoing water projects within 15 days

 

Chizokho Vero
Kohima | February 20 

Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Minister, Jacob Zhimomi today said that the department aims to cover 550 villages under the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in one financial year for 11 districts of the state

This mission aims to provide functional household tap connection to every rural household in the country by 2024, with a minimum water supply level of 55 litres per person per day.

Stating that the state has 1450 habitations, Zhimomi said that each division will have to target the coverage of 50 villages.

“We have to tighten our belts. We can no longer be table engineers now,” he told officials of the department while addressing the review and coordination meeting of the PHED in Kohima. 

The Minister informed that the State would require more storage of water in the villages and the department would have to play the dual role to bring more water to the village as well as distribute water to each and every household by pipe water supply.

The JJM has been introduced as a national flagship programme by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation. This will subsume the National Rural Drinking Water Project (NRDWP) from 2019-20.

Urges EEs to upload physical progress online

He meanwhile insisted that the physical progress and utilization of fund sanctioned by the Ministry has to be uploaded in the Ministry’s website.

Requesting all the Executive Engineers (EEs) to upload on time, he said “one of the reasons why we have suffered receiving central fund is because you have not uploaded in the MIS.”

“All the activities of the department will now be uploaded in the state and ministry portal with evidence and photographs,” the Minister said, adding that he is ready to visit each district to see the physical progress of the project.
 

Ongoing incomplete projects

The Minister further urged the EEs to submit the status of all the incomplete water supply projects or defective projects being executed under NEC/DONER/NLCPR within their respective jurisdiction in the next 15 days.

These include: water supply scheme for 24 villages of Chiephobozou RD Block, water supply to Samzuiram village of Peren district, water supply by gravity to Aboi HQ and Longching EAC HQ under Mon district, augmentation of water supply scheme through stream water sources in Japukong range, etc.

The Minister also informed that augmentation of water supply to Kohima town is likely to be completed by March this year.

Later, Zhimomi asked the EEs to conduct seminars on sanitation in their respective jurisdictions/blocks with WATSAN committee members and Swatchagrahis for clean environment and healthy lifestyle.
 

PHED requires 2000 w/c employees

PHED Principal Secretary, MK Mero informed that the department will require about 2000 workcharged employees in the wake of various projects being undertaken across the state. He said at present, the department has around 700 such employees. 

Meanwhile, Mero informed that the material components for implementation of JJM have already arrived and it will be distributed to various districts by next week.

Expressing concern over faulty implementation of several projects, he called upon EEs to ensure proper supervision of the works.