The Hindu Business Line : Kerala Govt expediting drinking water projects: Minister

THE State Government is taking steps to expedite the drinking water projects to be implemented in the State with the assistance of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The Minister for Water Resources, Mr Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, told the State Assembly on Monday that the Government would hold talks with representatives of JBIC in this regard some time next week.

In reply to questions, he said the projects, with an outlay of Rs 1,787.45 crore, would benefit 43 lakh people in the State. The projects were targeted to be commissioned in 2007.

Besides this, the Government had submitted a Rs 400-crore proposal to the Centre for preservation and development of water resources in the forest areas. This was to be included in a project to be assisted by Global Environmental Facility and the World Bank, Mr Radhakrishnan noted.

In reply to a question on setting up of desalination plants to solve the problem of scarcity of drinking water in the coastal areas, he said the Government would examine whether such facilities were suited to the State. It would consider the proposal even if the cost involved was high, he added.

The Finance Minister, Mr Vakkom Purushothaman, said the Government would take strict action against those money-lenders who charged more than the prescribed rate of interest from the customers.

He said that the Government had fixed 12 per cent interest per annum for money-lenders by making the necessary amendments in the Finance Act of 2004. He warned of strict action against those who violated it.

Replying to questions, the Minister said that it was not possible for the Government alone to try to contain the menace of the increasing number of unauthorised money-lenders in the State. There was also need for public awareness about it.

The Government, on its part, would take all the steps, including seizure of documents, to check the danger posed by the money-lenders. There were 9,018 licensed private financing institutions in the State, he added.

Mr Purushothaman informed the House that the State Government had spent Rs 375.10 crore for administrative reforms during the last three years. It had appointed Procurement Service Provider, a firm working with the financial assistance of The Netherlands Government, as its consultant to make available expert service for the purpose.

He elaborated that the Government spent Rs 225 crore in 2002-03, Rs 142.83 crore in 2003-04 and Rs 7.26 crore in 2004-05 (till January 31) for administrative reforms.

Though the Government had not incurred any expenditure as consultancy fee, it had spent Rs 2.18 lakh towards visit of the representatives Asian Development Bank in 2002-03, he noted.

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