The Kerala Government Contractors’ Association (KGCA) will organise a march on January 6 from Jala Bhavan to Raj Bhavan and hold a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan and the State Secretariat, protesting against the alleged attempts by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to distribute, in violation of priority norms, a ₹288-crore interest-free loan that the Centre had allotted to the State for the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme.
The KWA issued an order in this regard to favour vested interests, in violation of an order issued by the Kerala High Court. The Centre would allot another ₹638 crore only if the KWA handed over a similar sum that had been given to it earlier. This sum totalling ₹1,336 crore would be of considerable help to contractors to whom a total of ₹4,000 crore ought to be paid under the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme whose tenure would end on March 31, KGCA president Varghese Kannampilly told the media here on Friday (December 27).
Even worse, Kerala is ranked 31st among States in implementing the scheme. In this situation, the tenure to provide drinking water to all rural homes under a ₹44,000-crore project must be extended by at least three years. Moreover, ₹12,750 crore must be promptly made available by the Central and State governments, he added.
He added that the repair, maintenance, and modernisation of PWD roads and buildings and of KWA’s assets have suffered due to non-allocation of funds.
Published – December 28, 2024 12:27 am IST
