Punjab would be made open defecation Free State within two years and would be provided with 100% potable drinking water in all the villages by end of next year.This decision was taken at a high level meeting to review the World Bank assisted Rs 2200 crore Punjab Rural Water and Sanitation sector Improvement Program (Phase 2) chaired by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here at his residence, this evening. Taking part in the deliberations, the Chief Minister asked the Principal Secretary Rural Water Supply to implement all the schemes of total sanitation including facilities sewerage and tap drinking water besides providing toilets in all the rural households as per the guidelines state government’s Rural water supply and sanitation policy. He also asked the officers of Water Supply and Sanitation department to take full responsibility for ensuring quality works with the active participation, support and supervision of the village level committees.
Badal also said that the MLAs of the respective assembly segments should ensure overall monitoring of these schemes so that the huge financial resources spent on these development works may not go down the drain adding he said that they should undertake random checking with the concerned officers of the water supply and sanitation department not below the rank of Chief Engineer or Superintendent Engineer. The Chief Minister categorically said that the quality of construction especially the usage of sub standard material in the toilets and drinking water schemes should not be compromised at any cost and the erring officer/ official flouting the specified norms must be dealt with sternly.
He also asked the officers to get these civil works executed from the contractors firmly as per stipulated quality construction guidelines and specifications adding that any sort of nexus between the contractors and officers would not be tolerated.Prominent amongst other present in the meeting included Cabinet Ministers Mr. Sikander Singh Maluka, Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Mr. Surjeet Singh Rakhra, Additional Chief Secretary cum Principal Secretary Rural Water Supply Mr. Suresh Kumar, Secretary Rural Development Mr. A Venuprasad, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Secretary Expenditure Mr. Jaspal Singh, Program Director World Bank Project Mr. SR Aggarwal, Chief Engineer (Central) Mr. RL Kauldhar, Chief Engineer (South) Mr. AK Soni, Chief Engineer (North) Mr. DS Cheema, Unit Coordinator WB Project Mr. DK Bhasin and Technical Consultant Mr. Srikanth.