Anantapur – Sathya Sai: The state government has stopped funding the maintenance of Sathya Sai. drinking water project And landed people at the pier who are heavily dependent on the project for their drinking water needs.
The government has told district administrations to engage panchayats and local bodies for maintenance funds for the projects. The bomb shells alarmed the public and all concerned.
The Sri Sathya Sai Rural Drinking Water Project caters to the drinking water needs of 1.1 million households in 600 villages in the undivided districts and was conceived in 1998 at a cost of Rs 380 crore.
All costs for laying the pipeline and constructing the reservoir were funded by the Sathya Sai Trust. Management of the project was given to L&T Company by the government. It cost L&T Rs 200 crore every month. Over time, the company withdrew from the work as the government did not credit the company with maintenance fees. Depending on the project he has nearly 600 employees. Immediately after the company exited his 2021, a project committee took over maintenance of the project. Even after the board took over, government payments remained irregular. Currently, his dues of Rs 6,000 crore are being paid to small contractors. For the past two years, the district administration has been writing to the government to clear the dues and help maintain the project smoothly.
However, the government has made a bombshell statement that it will no longer provide funds for the upkeep of the project and that panchayats and local governments should jointly take responsibility for funding.
The coffers of all panchayats have already been emptied and even the funds of the 10th Finance Commission for panchayats have been diverted by the government to its pet schemes. The government tied the panchayats’ hands behind their backs and immobilized local bodies. The entire project is currently underway to meet the drinking water needs of 1.1 million households. If the government mercilessly withdraws, it will be the people who will suffer. Once again, people are calling for the upkeep of the project to be handed over to Sathya Sai’s trust.
