Mumbai, February 27 Maharashtra Minister Gulabrao Patil said on Friday that the government has completed over 26,000 of the nearly 50,000 water supply schemes sanctioned across the state. Responding to the debate on the water supply department in the assembly, he said that the remaining schemes are at various stages of implementation, and the government has decided to prioritize projects that are nearing completion.
"Nearly 50,000 schemes were sanctioned, and over 26,000 have been completed so far. The remaining ones are progressing at different levels. Projects with 75 to 99 percent completion will be given first priority for funding. Schemes that are 50 to 75 percent complete will be taken up next, while those below 25 percent progress will be reviewed," Patil said.
Patil acknowledged that some schemes faced technical and planning challenges.
"In certain villages, the originally identified water sources did not yield adequate water, necessitating a change in source and revision of cost estimates. When water was not available at the planned source, we had to identify alternative sources. This led to revised estimates. But we cannot abandon villages midway," he said.
The minister said that stricter monitoring at the gram sabha, taluka, and district levels could have reduced errors.
He added that action, including suspension, has been taken against officials found responsible for lapses.
On funding concerns, Patil said that the state government is not entirely dependent on the Centre and has released around Rs 4,000 crore as its share over the past two to two-and-a-half years.
He said that the Centre has indicated temporary financial constraints, but assured that funds would be released.
Patil moved supplementary demands of Rs 1,431 crore for the water supply and sanitation department and urged members to approve them to expedite ongoing schemes, particularly under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The government remains committed to completing pending projects and ensuring access to drinking water for rural households across Maharashtra, he said.