Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Union Minister for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Nitin Jairam Gadkari to ensure the provision of additional funds for state under Rural Water Supply and Sanitation scheme (RWSSS) in the ensuing Union Budget and provide it immediately after the budget was passed by the Parliament.In a letter to Gadkari, the Chief Minister said that necessary action in this regard was required to remove avoidable miseries of rural habitations in Punjab. He apprised the Union Minister that a large number of water samples of Rural habitations in the State have failed due to which it was the need of the hour to provide water purification systems to these areas on priority. Mr. Badal said that the state Department of Water Supply and Sanitation has already submitted a proposal of Rs.101.33 crore for installing RO systems in 730 habitations across the state.
Likewise, the Chief Minister said that in addition to it the Department also needs additional funds to install ROs in remaining 2094 habitations, where water was found to be contaminated with Uranium and other heavy metals. Referring to his recent meeting with the Union Minister in New Delhi, Mr. Badal lauded his gesture of advising the concerned officers of the Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation to consider this request of the state government on priority. He also urged Mr. Gadkari to provide requisite funds amounting to nearly Rs.300 crore for these habitations also. "It was pleasure to meet with you, more so because of your positive attitude and inclination to resolve the pending issues of Punjab, especially that of quality of drinking water being supplied to rural habitations, at the earliest" he added.