By Asem Bhakta
IMPHAL, Jul 24
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Manipur Water Supply Project through a video conference yeasterday. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that Rs 3050 crore Manipur Water Supply Project would reduce the water problems of the State and would be especially helpful in providing a huge relief to the women of the State. “This project will give clean drinking water to Greater Imphal and 1,700 villages in Manipur. It will provide a lifeline to these people,” . He added that it will help women in as many as one lakh families in the State. He said that the project has been designed with the help of local panchayats and people living here, which he said is a “fine example of decentralisation”.
“The Manipur Water Supply project will also generate employment for thousands of people,” PM Modi said. He also highlighted the fact that work to lay the pipelines was continuing even during the COVID-19 lockdown. “The country did not stop due to COVID-19,” he said. He also listed the scheme implemented by the Centre to help Manipur and various States during the coronavirus crisis.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that with such project, potable drinking water would be provided to every household of the State by 2024. He mentioned that the New Development Bank (NDB) funded project of Rs 3054 crore is the largest single compact project ever sanctioned by the Government of India for Manipur. The Chief Minister said that under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been visible positive change in Manipur in the last three years. The culture of blockade and bandhs are a thing of the past, he said and added that that with the support and co-operation of the people, there has been a cohesive and peaceful environment in the State under the present regime. He mentioned that various developmental activities are being taken up in the State for the welfare of the people of Manipur. He also added. It may be mentioned that the Government of India initiated the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide safe and adequate quantity of drinking water to every rural household of the country by 2024 under the motto “Har Ghar Jal”.
The Manipur Water Supply project, an externally funded project, was designed to provide freshwater household tap connections (FHTCs) to remaining households in the Greater Imphal Planning area, 25 towns, and for 1,731 rural habitations covering 2,80,756 households in 16 districts of Manipur. The project is an important component of the efforts of the State Government to achieve the goal of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ by 2024. Governor of Manipur Dr Najma Heptulla, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Sekhawat, Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, Chief Secretary and other high ranking officials were present during the function.
Critics said that many such water projects were enunciated earlier in a number of Northeastern cities including Guwahati the gateway of NE region, but most of them had failed to come up. Let us see whether this project will see the light near future.
