Submit report on Jal Jeevan Mission works: Raghavendra

Udupi: Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing clean drinking water to the public, works taken up in over 19 gram panchayats in the district are reported to be unsatisfactory. Shivamogga MP BY Raghavendra directed engineers to submit a report on the status of these works.He was speaking while chairing the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting held at Rajathadri, Manipal, on Tuesday.The central govt launched JJM with the goal of providing clean drinking water to every household. In Udupi district, 525 works worth Rs 687 crore were undertaken. Of these, 487 were completed and 38 are in progress, achieving 93% completion. However, in 19 gram panchayats of Udupi taluk, resolutions were passed stating that works are not being implemented properly. MP Raghavendra instructed officials to examine whether the deficiencies are technical or related to quality, and to submit a detailed report."Under the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, land was already sanctioned for the construction of community halls for tribal communities. These works must be completed within the stipulated time, ensuring quality. For the Koraga community, approval was given for the construction of 308 houses at Rs 3.7 lakh each and 100 houses at Rs 4.5 lakh each. However, many houses are still incomplete," he said. Raghavendra said that if the sanctioned funds are insufficient, houses should be completed with the support of NGOs and handed over to the beneficiaries.He further stressed the need to expedite land acquisition and compensation for the Kollur-Ranibennur national highway development, and to complete all ongoing national highway works in the district on time with assured quality.Raghavendra also drew attention to complaints of theft of grazing cattle in Kollur. He suggested opening a gaushala in collaboration with Kollur Mookambika Temple, as land was already identified.On mobile connectivity, he said that in some rural areas of the district, people face difficulty due to the absence of mobile networks. Out of 196 towers in the district, 115 were upgraded from 2G to 4G, and the remaining should also be upgraded, he said.MLAs Yashpal A Suvarna, Gururaj Shetty Gantihole, Kiran Kumar Kodgi, and Gurme Suresh Shetty raised several issues and concerns at the meeting. The meeting was attended by deputy commissioner Swaroopa TK, zilla panchayat CEO Prateek Bayal, SP Hariram Shankar and DFO Shivaram M Babu.