Water grid will quench thirst of every habitation: Lokesh

Kakinada: A comprehensive plan for ‘water grid’ to provide protected drinking water to all the villages in the state at a cost of Rs.20,000 crores was being implemented, said minister for panchayat raj, rural development and IT Nara Lokesh. 

Participating in Janmabhhomi-Maa Vooru programme at K Nayakampalli village in Gandepalli mandal here on Saturday, Lokesh said that the water grid is being implemented at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore in the first phase and Rs 800 crores would be spent in East Godavari alone. He further said that steps were taken to provide quality drinking water in all the habitations and in all the villages in the state. 

Speaking on underground drainage in villages, Lokesh said that 157 villages in 157 constituencies were selected to implement underground drainage under a pilot project taken up at a cost of Rs 660 crores covering 207 km.

The minister said 14,000 km cement roads were laid in villages in the last three-and-a-half years, 1,628 gram panchayat buildings, 584 mandal parishad buildings and 4,200 Anganwadi buildings were constructed. He further said that 27 lakh individual sanitary latrines were constructed in the state at a cost of Rs 3,200 crores and another 16 lakh would be completed by March-end. 

Jaggampeta MLA Jyothula Nehru requested the minister to allocate funds for rural infrastructure development in the Jaggampeta constituency. District collector Kartikeya Mishra said that steps were taken to attend the public grievances received through 1100 call centre and this was being monitored by the Chief Minister Green channel for industrial clearances
Lokesh inaugurated Aparna Vitero tiles plant at ADB Road near Peddapuram town on Saturday. 

Speaking on the occasion, he said a green channel was established for speedy sanction of permissions to industries in the state. He said share of manufacturing in the state’s economy would be increased to 32 per cent from the current 8 per cent. Company chairman SS Reddy  said that the plant would produce 50 lakh square metre tiles per annum, providing employment to 750 people in the first phase and another 1,000 people in the second phase.