Wait for water gets longer for 3 lakh residents of PRN

JAIPUR: The wait for over 3 lakh residents of Prithvi Raj Nagar ( PRN) scheme to procure drinking water connection grow longer as the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is struggling to manage funds to develop infrastructure.
To supply drinking water from Bisalpur under PRN scheme, the PHED has drafted a Rs 453 crore proposal for laying transmission lines in north and south regions. The proposal was forwarded to the Jaipur Development Authority(JDA) for seeking financial assistance after receiving a nod from the PHED technical committee.However, as the JDA has only assured to provide Rs 96 crore, it appears the project would be further delayed.
“The PHED has prepared a plan to supply water in nearly 800 colonies. As JDA would be collecting development charge from these residents of PRN, the proposal was forwarded for financial assi stance. Now, the matter will be taken up by the state government,“ said a senior PHED official.
He added, “If the assistance was provided by JDA this year, the PHED would have taken at least two more years to develop the infrastructure and supply water. As there is delay in receiving the funds, the project will be delayed further for longer period.“
For north region, the PHED has estimated to supply 40 mld of water per day from Bisalpur. The demand for the entire PRN scheme is around 85 mld of water.
According to officials, the department has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to supply drinking water in the north PRN region. However, the plan cannot be finalised due to non-availability of land. “To provide immediate relief to residents, we have decided to lay transmission lines. We have also prepared a Rs 700 crore proposal to lay internal lines but it has been not finalised yet,“ said a senior PHED official.