Patna: Concerns over the condition of Bihar’s rural tap water scheme were raised in the state assembly during a call-attention motion on Wednesday, with a BJP legislator alleging widespread breakdowns in infrastructure and service delivery.
Mithilesh Tiwari, a BJP MLA, told the House that the Chief Minister’s Rural Drinking Water Nishchay Yojana, launched in 2016 to ensure clean drinking water to every gram panchayat, was facing serious operational challenges. He said more than 67,000 schemes had been transferred to the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), and funds had been allocated for their implementation.
Tiwari claimed that in many parts of the state, pipelines were damaged, fittings broken and systems lying defunct. He alleged that non-payment of electricity bills had rendered several installations inoperative, while land disputes and delays in payment of honorariums to local caretakers were further hampering the scheme.
Responding on behalf of the government, PHED minister Sanjay Kumar Singh said that multiple water supply schemes were currently being implemented across the state and that operation and maintenance work was ongoing.
Singh said the department had taken a decision to streamline the process of operation, repair and maintenance in all rural areas to ensure continuity of services. He added that complaints lodged on the department’s portal were addressed within 24 hours. “If any citizen faces a problem and registers a complaint, we work to resolve it promptly,” he told the House.
The minister said the government would continue strengthening the system and address the issues raised, as part of its commitment to improving rural drinking water access.
