Congress Legislator Jeevan Reddy criticises TRS govt over Mission Bhagiratha funds

Hyderabad: Senior Congress Legislator Mr T. Jeevan Reddy on Saturday demanded that the government should initiate a judicial probe into the utility and misappropriation of large scale funds in Mission Bhagiratha scheme. The project was meant to provide protected and treated drinking water to each household in the state, but the whole purpose was defeated with the scam.

Speaking to newsmen, Mr Jeevan Reddy said in the name of taking pipelines to each and every household in villages, several concrete roads had been dug up by the contractors and they were all left uncovered. Now the government was asking the gram panchayats to spend money to get them repaired.

Mr Reddy said the existing sand filter beds for the protected water supply schemes had been in existence for the last several years but they will be closed down once Mission Bhagiratha scheme is launched. This will be another great loss to the investments already made by the government.

He added that out of the 3.5 crore population in the state, 1.5 crore population was already getting treated drinking water and for the remaining 2 crore population, the government was spending Rs 40,000 crore at the rate of Rs 20,000 for each person by way of Mission Bhagiratha.

He said his experience as a senior legislator showed that even in villages people were now used to getting packaged drinking water so the fate of Mission Bhagiratha water once it reaches the villages was uncertain.

Mr Reddy said people will waste the Bhagiratha water by using it for washing clothes and utensils and for toilet purpose and continue to use the bottled water for drinking purpose.

“What is the use of the scheme when people are not ready to make use of it, and the whole scheme is nothing but a scam and misappropriation of public funds?” Mr Reddy said. He also blamed the government for diverting funds earmarked for Dalit’s development to the Mission Bhagiratha.