In the rural areas of Haryana, the Village Water and Sewerage Committees will be responsible for both formulating and monitoring water supply schemes. All these tasks will be executed under the provisions of the ‘Policy for Operation and Maintenance of Drinking Water Supply Schemes in Villages-2026,’ aimed at facilitating the smooth functioning of these schemes. To ensure the efficient management of water supply operations, ‘Model Villages’ will be established in every district.
Furthermore, consumers will be provided with the facility for digital payments through platforms such as Bharat Bill Pay and other online channels. This will make the payment of water charges significantly simpler. Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi recently reviewed the ‘Policy for Operation and Maintenance of Drinking Water Supply Schemes.’
The Chief Secretary emphasized that merely creating infrastructure is not sufficient to ensure the availability of safe drinking water; a robust system for its long-term operation and maintenance is equally essential. J. Ganesan, Commissioner and Secretary of the Public Health Engineering Department, stated that significant responsibilities have been entrusted to the Village Water and Sewerage Committees under this new policy.
These committees will undertake a wide range of functions—from formulating water supply plans to monitoring, infrastructure management, grievance redressal, billing, collection of consumer charges, and record-keeping. The policy ensures a minimum participation of 50 percent for women within these Village Water and Sewerage Committees. Additionally, the Public Health Department has established a centralized grievance redressal center.
