Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today held a meeting with senior officers of various departments to review the measures being undertaken for improvement in water supply for Shimla town from various water sources.He directed the concerned departments to speed up/initiate work on the short and long term plans so that most of the works could be completed within a year and there should be no water crisis in Shimla during the next summer season. He also asked to fast track the work on medium-term plans being executed for enhancing water capacity in different schemes.The Chief Minister said that efforts were on to ensure availability of more than 10 MLD water for Shimla by enhancing the capacity of Gumma, Ashwani Khud and Giri river from where the water was being supplied to the town. He said more tube wells would be explored in the Ashwani khud area and check dams would be constructed upstream of Gumma and Giri water sources. Besides, nine additional storage tanks would be constructed in Shimla town that would help in storing an extra 17 MLD water.He directed the officers of the Municipal Corporation Shimla to take immediate steps for checking leakage of water and completing the work on changing the main water supply line from Craignano to Dhalli (7 KMs). He also said that water distribution system should be improved and directed to take up this work in Sanjauli, Engine Ghar and Totu Wards at the earliest.
Jai Ram Thakur said that the work on Chaba project should be completed within a year which shall provide 10 to 15 MLD of extra water to the Gumma water source.He stressed that all the line departments should work in close coordination so that unwanted delays could be avoided and the targets could be achieved within the stipulated time period.Secretary, IPH Devesh Kumar said that ultraviolet radiation technology would be tried in Ashwani Khud water source to kill the germs and the process has been started to construct check dams on all the sources of water lifting. He also briefed about the visit of Central Water Commission team to Shimla and suggestions given by it.Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhary, Additional Chief Secretaries Dr. Srikant Baldi, Anil Khachi, Tarun Kapoor, Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board, Dr. R.K. Pruthi, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla Amit Kashyap, Commissioner, MC Shimla Rohit Jamwal and other senior officers attended the meeting.