JOIN USDrinking water is being supplied in tankers to 700 villages in seven districts to mitigate drinking water shortage, Revenue Minister V Sreenivas Prasad informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
Replying to a discussion on drinking water shortage in several pockets of the State, the minister said the government had released Rs 42 crore for taking immediate steps to mitigate the crisis. Water is being supplied in tankers in 700 villages in the districts of Kolar, Dharwad, Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Bengaluru Urban, Ramanagara and Chikkaballapur. Deputy commissioners have the power to utilise grants for stocking up fodder and drilling new borewells, he said.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister H K Patil said Rs 168 crore was available with task forces on drinking water at the taluk level across the State. The secretaries of the task forces have been directed to hold a meeting on March 28 to review the expenditure and draw an action plan for the coming months, Patil said.
Earlier, members said officials were complaining that there was shortage of funds to tackle drinking water crisis.