Bhubaneswar: To mitigate drinking water scarcity, the government has set a target to revive 1,654 defunct tubewells across the state, Panchayati Raj minister Pradeep Maharathy said on Friday.
Reviewing the progress of works related to drinking water supply and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, the minister said, “Of the 1,954 tubewells, whose riser pipes have become defunct, the government has already repaired and cleaned 1,200 to meet the drinking water requirement of people living in rural areas.”
Stating that the government is committed to providing basic amenities at all panchayats, he said, “Proactive steps have been initiated to curb corruption at panchayat and block levels. A toll free helpline number ‘1800-345-6768’, where people can lodge graft-related grievances, have been made operational. Besides, task forces have been constituted to supervise and monitor various works being carried out at panchayat level.”