Even after the expiry of the stipulated deadline for completion of all works related to the State government’s flagship drinking water project “Mission Bhagiratha”, works on the Overhead Service Reservoirs (OHSRs), the vital component of the project's water distribution system, still remained incomplete in Chintakani mandal.
Of the total 18 OHSRs originally proposed under the Mission Bhagiratha project in the mandal, only 12 have been completed so far, sources said.
Even more than two-and-a-half years after the formal launch of the mega project, works are yet to begin on the proposed OHSR at Raghavapuram village in the mandal.
Hiccups such as delay in identification of suitable site for the OHSR kept the proposed OHSR in the village in limbo, sources said.
Work on the OHSR in the mandal headquarters town of Chintakani continues to progress at a tardy pace.
Intra-village works are still pending in Gandhinagar and Bopparam villages in the mandal depriving the villagers of the assured piped safe drinking water supply under Mission Bhagiratha, sources added.
Official sources attribute the delay in completion of the pending OHSRs to non-availability of adequate manpower, and initial hiccups in selection of sites in a few villages and reluctance of contractors towards execution of certain works citing "funding issues."
When contacted, V Narasimha Rao, Dy. Executive Engineer, Mission Bhagiratha, Madhira sub-division, told The Hindu that the intra-village works including laying of pipelines and providing household tap connections have already been completed in the mandal.
Little over 13,000 households in the mandal are getting bulk supply of treated water from Wyra reservoir under the Mission Bhagiratha project, he said, adding that the works on the remaining OHSRs were progressing at a fast pace.
Work on the OHSR in Chintakani is nearing completion and the proposed OHSR at Raghavapuram will be constructed in a mission mode at the earliest, the official said.
