PHED has canceled RS 4000 crore tenders allotted by the Grand Alliance government.
PHED has canceled RS 4000 crore tenders allotted by the Grand Alliance government.
Patna July 5: Bihar’s Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Minister, Neeraj Kumar Bablu, has announced the cancellation of tenders worth Rs 4,000 crore that were issued during the previous Grand Alliance government.
He cited the discovery of numerous irregularities in these tenders as the primary reason for their cancellation. This move aims to address and rectify the issues found in the tendering process under the former administration.
“After the formation of the NDA government, all departments have been working actively, prompting his department to cancel the old tenders to the tune of Rs 4000 crore and plan to issue new ones. He assured that the new tenders would be issued and completed within a month, with work commencing from August,” Bablu said.
He emphasized that the NDA government is focused on moving forward rather than dwelling on the past.
“The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ambitious Nal Jal Yojana aims to provide water to every household, and upon reviewing the old tenders, it was found that many villages and localities were excluded from this scheme. The new tenders aim to connect these areas to ensure comprehensive water supply coverage,” he said.
“Additionally, the PHED plans to install solar systems on water tanks to ensure a 24-hour electricity supply, mitigating issues caused by power outages. The department has also planned to install automatic taps to prevent water wastage, further enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of the water supply system,” he added.
Neeraj Kumar Bablu also mentioned that the target is to install 4,000 hand pumps, with 1,500 already installed. He assured that all hand pumps will be installed within a few days.
“The state has 497 water tankers in the health division, supplying water to villagers in problematic areas through 83 tankers across 9 districts as needed. Furthermore, 15 water ATMs have been made available to meet the demand,” Bablu said.
“To address issues in rural areas, we have released a toll-free number (1800 123 1121) and a WhatsApp number (8544 429024). These lines are available from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm for complaints. A diary is maintained to track the number of complaints received daily and their resolution status.
EOM.