Madhya Pradesh orders action amid water crisis:Collectors to monitor control rooms; 48-hour deadline set for complaint resolution

Amid severe heat conditions in Madhya Pradesh, water scarcity is worsening in rural and plain areas. Even in major cities like Indore, people are protesting over drinking water shortages. In view of the situation, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain held a high-level review meeting on Sunday evening via video conferencing with district collectors, CEOs of district panchayats, municipal commissioners, as well as officials from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department and Jal Nigam. The Chief Secretary issued strict instructions, including a ban on leave for staff of urban bodies, PHE, Jal Nigam, and panchayat departments involved in drinking water supply. He directed all collectors to set up central control rooms and personally monitor them, along with daily morning reviews of water supply arrangements in their districts. He said that in areas facing acute water shortage, immediate alternative supply arrangements must be ensured. He also instructed that reports related to water crisis in newspapers, media, and social media should be taken seriously without delay. Complaints on the CM Helpline regarding drinking water issues must be resolved within two days. He further stated that gram panchayats should clearly be told not to wait for PHE teams for minor repairs such as motor failure, pipeline leakage, or handpump issues, and should resolve such problems at their own level. Panchayats can execute works up to 10 thousand on their own The Chief Secretary said that under the 16th Finance Commission provisions, 50% of funds are allocated for drinking water and sanitation. Panchayats can now carry out water supply-related works up to ₹10,000 through RES without tender or detailed estimates. A detailed Hindi guideline has already been issued for this. Get hand pumps, motors and pipelines repaired immediately He directed that broken handpumps, damaged motors, and burst pipelines must be repaired immediately. Panchayats should use their own funds for small works instead of depending on the PHE department. There should be no irregularity in tanker supply The Chief Secretary emphasized that wherever water is being supplied through tankers, distribution must be completely fair and transparent. People should be informed in advance about tanker schedules in villages, wards, or colonies. Special monitoring was also directed for Indore’s tanker distribution system in water-stressed wards. Government has released 1500 crores It was informed in the meeting that the government has released ₹1500 crore for the development of water sources such as borewells in rural areas. An additional ₹55 crore has also been provided to panchayats for maintenance of water supply systems.