Free RO water cans to be provided to BPL families residing in red zones in Puducherry: Minister

The Puducherry government has decided to provide free a can of RO water per day to Below Poverty Line families residing in red zone areas (places with high salinity), Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan said in the Assembly on Thursday.

The Puducherry government has decided to provide free a can of RO water per day to Below Poverty Line families residing in red zone areas (places with high salinity), Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan said in the Assembly on Thursday.

Replying to discussion on demands for grants pertaining to his departments, the Minister said each can would contain 20 litre of potable drinking water.

Detailing the initiatives taken by the government to improve civic infrastructure, the Minister said the Public Works Department had re-laid 184.7 km of road in the Union Territory during 2022-23. The government has incurred an expenditure of ₹106 crore in the current fiscal.

In the coming financial year, the department has plans to take up relaying of 13 road stretches. The government would source funds to the tune of ₹165 crore from financial institutions, including HUDCO and NABARD for the road works next financial year, the Minister said.

The government has set aside ₹10 crore in the budget for completing the bridge over Uppar drain. The balance work of the bridge to link Marimalai Adigal Salai and Kamaraj Salai would cost around ₹26 crore. The remaining work would be completed before end of the year, he said.

The construction of 50-bedded Ayush Hospital at Villianur in Puducherry and Yanam would be completed by May, he added

The works utility would take up desilting of manholes and sewer lines to prevent frequent blockages in Uppalam, Nellithope, Kamaraj Nagar, parts of Thattanchavady, Raj Bhavan, Orleanpet and Muthialpet constituencies. Steps would be taken to provide underground drainage in left out areas in the town, the Minister said.