KISHTWAR: Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma, who is also the Chairman, District Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), today chaired a meeting in the Meeting Hall of the New DC Complex to review the progress, implementation status and pending issues related to 130 water supply schemes being executed under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the district.
At the outset, the Executive Engineer Jal Shakti (Hydraulic Division) apprised the Deputy Commissioner about the current status and progress of the schemes and the issues requiring intervention.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the stakeholder departments to expedite the Jal Aankalan process and initiate Jal Arpan for 10 schemes in accordance with JJM guidelines. “Align the Jal Aankalan with the ongoing Vande Mataram Phase-3 Campaign and submit the geo-tagged photographs of the activities to his office,” he directed.
The Deputy Commissioner also reviewed the status of 13 water supply schemes having minimal balance FHTCs and directed Jal Shakti department to pursue the matter with higher authorities and ensure procurement of the required 15 mm diameter pipes at the earliest to complete the schemes without further delay.
Regarding projects submitted under DAJGUA, the Chair was informed that five projects have already been submitted to the Chief Office for approval. The Executive Engineer was directed to closely follow the matter for speedy approval.
The functioning of the water testing laboratories was also reviewed. It was informed that staff of Jal Shakti has been deployed to assist the concerned laboratories in sample collection. It was further informed that a proposal for strengthening and equipping all five water testing laboratories has been submitted to the Mission Directorate and the Chief Engineer’s Office for the release of funds.
The PO ICDS was directed to provide the list of Anganwadi Workers to the Executive Engineer for their training in conducting water quality tests through Field Testing Kits in their respective areas. The Chemist, District Lab was directed to coordinate the training of Anganwadi Workers and ensure that water quality tests are conducted and reports are properly uploaded on the portal.
The Executive Engineer was further directed to issue an order designating the Chemist, District Lab as the overall in-charge of all water testing laboratories in the district.
The Deputy Commissioner also reviewed the progress regarding rooftop rainwater harvesting structures under the JSA (CTR) guidelines. He directed to construct rooftop rainwater harvesting structures during the current financial year at 347 schools, 34 Anganwadi Centres and 93 Panchayat Ghars across the district. The funds for the same shall be provided under the VB-GRAM-G Scheme. The ACD was directed to provide a constituency-wise list of Panchayat Ghars to the Chief Planning Officer for the purpose.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the Assistant Executive Engineers, Assistant Engineers and Junior Engineers of Jal Shakti to conduct regular inspection of installations and networks falling within their respective jurisdictions and hold meetings with the concerned Pani Samitis/Village Level Water Sanitation Committees. They were also directed to submit geo-tagged photographs of the field activities to his office.
The In-charge Chemist, District Water Testing Laboratory was specifically directed to collect water samples in Kishtwar town and submit the test reports to his office within two days.
Emphasizing the importance of coordinated efforts for the successful implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Deputy Commissioner directed all concerned departments and field functionaries to maintain close coordination and ensure strict adherence to the timelines fixed during the meeting. The Executive Engineer and all Assistant Executive Engineers were directed to closely monitor the execution and progress of the schemes and submit regular updates for subsequent review.
The meeting was attended by ADDC Vinod Kumar Behnal, PO ICDS Rishi Kumar Sharma, CPO Akhil Thakur, ACP/ACD Neeraj Sharma, CEO Sanjay Dogra, Executive, besides other concerned officers, officials and staff.
