Sardarpur (Madhya Pradesh): Despite state government spending a large amount on its much-publicised "Nal Jal Yojana" to provide safe drinking water to everyone, getting safe water remains a distant dream for more than 70,000 school children of Sardarpur tehsil in Dhar district courtesy substandard work done by Public Health Engineering (PHE) department's contractor.
According to information, Sardarpur tehsil has 460 government schools, 429 Anganwadi centres and 72 sub-health centres. Owing to sub-standard work by contractor, majority of drinking water units were lying damaged.
Free Press had on December 23, 2021, prominently raised the issue of Jal Jeewan Mission being in a mess in Sardarpur and how administration was clueless.
Under the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission of Union government, construction of drinking facilities at primary, secondary schools, village health centres and Anganwadi centre had been underway in Sardarpur Tehsil since last year.
The taps are yet to be installed. Even sheds have not been installed at many drinking water units. In some schools, electric motor pumps were installed to lift water into the tank, but they got damaged within a couple of months.
FP Photo
Due to the closure of these drinking water units worth crores of rupees, students are facing the problem of drinking water. The children of the Anganwadi have to yearn for water. The patients coming to sub-health centre have to arrange water as there is no one to take care of that.
Besides, many government schools in Sardarpur tehsil have no peons. In such case, school teachers have to bring water for students covering long distance.
One of the school teacher, on condition of anonymity, claimed that everyone in the tehsil was aware of the issue but preferred to remain a mute spectator.
Many schools have complained to Public Health Engineering Department, Sardarpur, about incomplete drinking water unit work and non-availability of water.
Locals claimed that these drinking water units were constructed by Gujarat-based contractors under the PHE Department. The political clout enjoyed by contractors had forced everyone to keep quiet.
Free Press tried to contact SDO Navalsingh Bhuria of PHE Department to get his version, but repeated calls went unanswered.
