Pioneer News Service
Dumka
Taking a tough stance against administrative lethargy and erratic execution of public welfare schemes, Jharkhand’s Minister for Drinking Water, Sanitation, Excise, and Prohibition, Yogendra Prasad, has issued an ultimatum to non-performing agencies, warning that those failing to meet project deadlines will be strictly blacklisted. Presiding over a series of high-level review meetings at the Dumka Collectorate auditorium on Monday, the Minister laid down clear benchmarks for departmental accountability, reviewing progress across the five districts of the Santhal Pargana division.
Focusing heavily on the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department’s performance across Dumka, Deoghar, Pakur, and Jamtara, the Minister expressed strong displeasure over delayed water infrastructure. He instructed officials to ensure that all ongoing schemes are completed with strict adherence to quality within a definitive timeframe. Emphasizing public utility, Minister Prasad ordered that all newly constructed water supply networks be made functional without further delay. Executive Engineers were given explicit directives to maintain rigorous field monitoring to proactively resolve execution bottlenecks.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), the Minister placed rural cleanliness at the forefront, calling for massive village-level campaigns to make the region entirely plastic-free. Reviewing the metrics, he noted a sharp disparity between liquid waste management, which stands at an impressive 91.78 percent, and solid waste management, lagging significantly behind at 38.9 percent. Demanding immediate corrective measures, the Minister ordered the rapid completion of solid waste treatment structures and the immediate operationalization of all set-up plastic management plants. He further mandated a targeted push to transition maximum villages into the coveted ODF Plus (5-Star) category, ordering a swift, time-bound verification process for the nominated villages.
Shifting the agenda to the Excise Department’s operations across Dumka, Deoghar, Pakur, Jamtara, and Godda, Minister Prasad pivoted toward stringent enforcement and revenue optimization.
The comprehensive review sessions saw the participation of regional legislators, including MLAs Uday Shankar Singh and Devendra Kunwar, alongside Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) State Mission Director Ranjita Hembrom, Dumka Deputy Commissioner Abhijit Sinha, Deputy Development Commissioner Aniket Sachan, and several senior departmental engineers and district officers.
