Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday, April 12, directed the officials to take precautionary measures to prevent drinking water problems in all the towns and villages of the state.
He warned that the next two months will be more crucial in view of the scorching heat.
The chief minister reminded that although more drinking water is being supplied compared to last year, it is not enough to meet the water requirement of the people.
“The present situation has arisen due to the depletion of the groundwater levels since people are dependent more on tap water,” he added.
The chief minister directed the officials to continuously monitor the supply of drinking water without interruption. The officials were asked to rectify the complaints immediately and restore the drinking water supply on a war footing.
The state chief secretary will hold a review meeting on the drinking water supply every day with the top officials of Mission Bhagiratha, Municipal, Irrigation and Energy department, a press release informed.
The special officers for drinking water supply for the old districts were directed to visit the places where drinking water problems arise and take measures to solve the problem and bring it to the attention of the higher officials.
The chief minister alerted the officials to get ready with alternative arrangements even if the demand increases further without any disruption to the supply of drinking water in Hyderabad.
“If necessary, water will be lifted from Nagarjuna Sagar dead storage to Hyderabad and appropriate arrangements should be made immediately. Arrangements will also be made for the supply of Singur water to the city. As there is no availability of water in the Krishna basin, the chief minister also asked the officials to consult the Karnataka government for the release of water from the Narayanpur reservoir for drinking water needs,” he said.
On this occasion, it came to the chief minister’s attention that the drinking water supply was interrupted at one place in Hyderabad due to the officials’ excessive action.
The chief minister issued orders to immediately remove those who intentionally obstructed the drinking water supply.
“Strict action will be taken against those who bring a bad reputation to the government,” he added.
The chief minister also warned that action will have to be taken against the officials if they are indifferent to such erring employees.
On paddy procurement
Revanth Reddy warned of strict action against those who bought paddy from the farmers at lower prices.
He warned of strict action against those who bought paddy from the farmers at lower prices.
The chief minister issued orders to the officials to crack down on the millers who cheated the farmers.
Revanth ordered to cancel the trade licenses of the millers and traders who buy paddy at the low prices in the agricultural market yards, stop custom milling and put them on the blacklist.
The chief minister reviewed the paddy procurement and drinking water supply with top officials on Friday. Civil Supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Information and Public Relations minister P Srinivas Reddy also participated in the meeting.
He said it came to his notice that traders and millers reduced the prices due to moisture content in the Paddy in some places.
Revanth appealed to the farmers to dry the paddy which contained higher levels of moisture before bringing it to the markets.
The moisture content will be high if the paddy is transported directly to the markets from the fields, the chief minister suggested to the farmers to keep the paddy dry to get a good price for their agricultural produce.
The officials have been asked to make suitable arrangements for drying the paddy and also install CCTVs in the market yards to prevent paddy theft.
The chief minister directed the collectors of all districts to inspect the markets and paddy purchase centres under their jurisdiction and ensure that purchases are made smoothly without any inconvenience to the farmers.
The officials were instructed to provide a Minimum Support Price ( MSP) to the paddy and resolve the complaints, if any, from the farmers instantly.
Revanth ordered the state-level officials to monitor the paddy procurement on a daily basis. The officials concerned are advised to conduct field visits in as many districts and examine the paddy procurement at the ground level.
He suggested that the senior IAS officers who are assigned in the old districts to monitor drinking water supply should also monitor the paddy procurement.
The chief minister instructed the officials to make available tarpaulins in all market yards and paddy purchase centres to avoid any problems in case the areas receive hailstorms.
Since it is election time, the chief minister cautioned the officials that false complaints and some false reports are circulating to bring a “bad reputation” to the government for political advantages.
Revanth ordered to file a complaint to the Election Commission on such matters immediately.
