AGARTALA, May 21 (TIWN): Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Wednesday launched Agartala North zone water treatment plant installed near Raj Bhawan. The plant was set up with an aim to connect total 13000 houses with purified filtered water. Amongst the two proposed water treatment plant at Agartala and Barjala, CM on Wednesday inaugurated the plant at Agartala set up to cover the entire Northern zone of the capital city Agartala. “With an aim to reduce water scarcity across the city the Left front govt. of the state has been eyeing forward to bring as much as houses under the coverage of water treatment plant,” Sarkar said launching the water treatment plant on Wednesday. Sarkar said, “As there is no alternative to water the state govt. has putting much important on it looks forward to ensure better supply of water to the people.” “As of now it has been analysed that unlike previous days there is no major scarcity of water in the state, but the state govt. here has been looking forward to ensure scarcity free water supply across the state,” Sarkar said. Detailing about the so called ‘ambitious’ project launched on Wednesday Sarkar said that the plant has been installed with an aim to contain and remove potential disease-causing contaminants through a filtering system that blocks their path and further treatment that kills harmful organisms.

Besides, according to the sources of the State Urban development department the state government recently started a process of replacing the drinking water supply pipeline system of Agartala city, the first ever initiative since its commissioning in 1965. The project is slated to end in 2016.

However project of installing water treatment plant in the capital city is being funded by the Jawaharlal Neheru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) with the National Building Construction Corporation Ltd. (NBCC) entrusted to take up the construction work. Rs. 7826.00 Lakhs has been sanctioned for the project work.

The water treatment plant installed at Agartala near Raj Bhawan which aims to connect total of 13000 house of the central zone has its capacity of 15.02 MLD. The construction work of the water treatment plant was started on September 13, 2009.

Besides, another water treatment plant would also come up very soon at Barjala. It is under construction now and is expected to be completed very soon, said Urban Developement Minister Manik Dey. Talking to TIWN on Wednesday Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) Mayor Prafullajit Sinha said that the state DWS department and the AMC would look after the maintenance of the water treatment plant launched.