TURA: The general budget session of the Garo Autonomous District Council began on Tuesday in which the opposition MDCs are expected to question the ruling NPP led Executive Committee headed by Chief Executive Member Dipul R Marak about the delay in completion of the water reservoir in the Tura Government college premises that supplies drinking water to the populated areas of Hawakhana and its nearby areas.
The three day session began with obituary references to former MDCs, D C Barman and Sanduram A Sangma, before being adjourned for the day.
The general budget is to be presented before the house by Executive Member in-charge of Finance S N Sangma on Wednesday.
Prior to the budget presentation, there is to be a question hour in which the opposition is expected to seek answers from the treasury benches over the delay in completion of the water reservoir at Hawakhana.
The old reservoir had been supplying water to the households located in Hawakhana, Mondoltilla, Nehru A’ding, AOC, Lower and Northern Hawakhana localities and parts of Teteng A’ja for several decades.
With age the reservoir had developed cracks leading to a major leakage of water and PHE and GHADC technical experts decided to dismantle it and construct a new one to accommodate more cubic meters of water for the ever-growing population of the town.
However, although the old reservoir was dismantled over a year ago, work on the new one has been at a snail’s pace leading to acute water shortage in the affected localities. The impact is most felt during the dry months of the year with respite coming only with the arrival of the annual monsoons. Garo Hills region, like the rest of the country, has been experiencing a drop in rainfall during the monsoon season over the last few years, including the current season, which is adding to peoples’ woes.
