Kohima, May 17 (MExN): The Nagaland Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has issued a clarification on the implementation of the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Project named ‘Providing water supply to 24 villages under Chiephobozou RD Block.’
The Morung Express, on April 27, had published a report titled ‘The Mysterious Case of the Rs. 26 Cr Water Supply Project’ highlighting how this project, designed to provide water supply to 24 villages under Chiephobozou Rural Development Block, remains non functional.
Referring to the report, the PHED clarified that the “The project was sanctioned in 2010 with a total estimated cost of Rs 2626.41 lakh covering 24 villages, out of which 9 villages were to be covered by pumping from the Vithoru source and the remaining 15 villages by independent sources.”
However, it claimed that during the course of the implementation of the project, an amount of Rs 130.20 lakh was not released to the Department, which affected the completion of the project.
“As per the report of the Department inspection team, servicing and repair works such as power transformer, pipe joints in rising mains, checking of balancing reservoirs and restoration of the gravity pipelines damaged during road construction, servicing of pumps and motors need to be carried out to restore the pumping system. In the remaining 15 villages, water supply is available in 11 villages while restoration works will be carried out in the other villages,” the PHED’s clarification stated.
Further, it maintained that the PHE Department since Financial Year 2019-20, “has been requesting the State Government for the balance fund to complete the project but could not be provided citing resource constraints. After concerted efforts by the Department, the Government has during the Current Financial Year 2022-23, earmarked the fund under State Plan.”
With this earmarked fund, the Department plans to complete the incomplete works, it stated in the clarification which was issued through the state DIPR on Tuesday.
