Greater Shillong water supply project to be completed by Dec: Minister
Renikton says he will look into water crisis in border village
Shillong, Jan 6: Minister in-charge Public Health Engineering (PHE) Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar on Thursday said that the much-awaited Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) phase-III will be completed by December.
When asked, the minister assured that work will not at all be hampered by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“As deputy chief minister had stated that the government does not want to impose any lockdown, so work will continue to ensure early completion of the project,” he added.
Earlier, he had informed that the defense authority had issued clearances for laying of the pipes through the defense establishment for completing the GSWSS phase-III.
Tongkhar further informed that he would soon review the progress of work.
The minister also assured that he would look into the acute water shortage faced by residents of Ratacherra village for the past several months.
Established in 1951, Ratacherra has been identified as one of the 12 ‘areas of difference’ shared between Meghalaya and Assam.
When asked about the request made by the dorbar shnong for extending the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission to the village, Tongkhar said he will find whether Ratacherra is in the list of the schemes sanctioned recently.
The minister also expressed confidence that the Assam government will not stop if Meghalaya implements the JJM in the village.
“As I have stated that for the water supply, if they do from Assam we will not stop and if we do from our side also Assam will not stop – that is a good thing,” he said.
“If it (scheme) has been sanctioned (for Ratacherra), we will do the work and Assam will not stop us,” Tongkhar further stated.
Headman Desous Pohshna had recently said the villagers have to buy water for the past many months to meet their daily requirement.
He also added that the dorbar shnong had approached the department for implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the village.
“The department has already surveyed the source of the water and now it is under process. We hope that this will be approved so that it will ease the problem of shortage of water supply,” he said.
According to him, implementation of the JJM will to a great extent help in addressing the problems of the villagers.
Ratacherra has a total of 287 households with over 2,228 population.
