By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The inability of the State Government to conduct Municipal elections in the State has hit the overall implementation of the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) (Phase III) under the JNNURM after the Central Government decided to cut the 2nd installment of fund to the State by 10 per cent.
The State PHE department was due to receive Rs 48 crore as the 2nd installment but the amount has now been curtailed to Rs 26.12 crore following the 10 per cent deduction. The total cost of the project is Rs 193 crore out of which Rs 48 crore was sanctioned as the 1st installment.
Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Friday said the GSWSS Phase-III implementation would be badly affected by the 10 per cent cut.
Out of the total Rs 193.74 crore sanctioned for this major project to improve supply of drinking water in the city, Ampareen said around Rs 20 crore has been deducted.
The Minister, however, sounded confident that the Central Government would waive off the fund deduction as was promised to her by Union Minister for Urban Development Kamal Nath during their meeting in New Delhi recently.
Meanwhile, PHE Minister Shitlang Pale, who inspected the GSWSS (Phase-III) at Mawphlang on Friday, said the major work of the Phase III is targeted to be completed by June 2012.
“So far the work is going according to plan and there has been no delay whatsoever in the project,” he added.
“After the completion of Phase III, localities like Madanriting, Nongmynsong and Pynthorumkhrah and parts of Mawlai will be relieved of water scarcity,” PHE Additional Chief Engineer, SK Sunn told reporters here on Friday.
Sunn also informed that in the third phase, the cast iron water pipes would be replaced by ductile iron pipes and some of the existing pipes in certain areas will be replaced by the new ones, whereas in other areas, the existing pipes will be utilised.
It was also mentioned that to avoid wastage of water, the much talked about
‘meter system’ which was proposed by former PHE Minister Prestone Tynsong, would be introduced after the completion of Phase III.
This entire project, which is set to be completed by 2014, would supply 8 million litres of portable drinking water per day which will subsequently be extended to 24 million litres per day.