G.O.(Ms) No.127, Constitution of State-level and City-level Task Forces for 24x7 Water Supply, 2022

What the government approved

G.O.(Ms) No.127 of the Municipal Administration & Water Supply (MA2) Department, dated 9 September 2022, establishes a State-level Task Force and requires City-level Task Forces in all cities covered by Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0. These bodies will support the planning, design and implementation of 24x7 water supply projects and interact with the National Task Force.

The State High Powered Steering Committee approved the arrangement at its meeting held on 27 June 2022. An existing technical committee on innovative technologies and best practices in the water and sewerage sector will function as the State-level Task Force, with the Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department included as a member.

Who is involved

The State-level Task Force includes representatives from:

• The Directorate of Municipal Administration.
• The Greater Chennai Corporation.
• The Water Resources Department.
• The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board.
• The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
• The Commissioner of Town Panchayats.
• Anna University and Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
• The Tamil Nadu Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
• The Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited.

Each City-level Task Force is chaired by the engineer concerned with water supply in the relevant urban local body. Its membership includes engineering and geology officials, along with environmental engineering, geographic information system, hydraulic modelling, electrical, mechanical, supervisory control and data acquisition, public private partnership and non-governmental organisation expertise.

Main responsibilities

The State-level Task Force is expected to:

• Assess and monitor cities implementing 24x7 water supply projects.
• Regularly interact with the National Task Force.
• Help cities establish City-level Task Forces.
• Hold State or regional meetings for city engineers and share technical knowledge.
• Promote implementation in at least one ward or one District Metering Area covering 2000 households in AMRUT cities.
• Invite additional official, non-official or foreign experts and form subcommittees when needed.

Relevance to property owners and buyers

G.O.(Ms) No.127 concerns government coordination for urban water supply infrastructure. It does not create property charges, alter ownership records, approve land use changes or provide individual water connections. Owners and residents in AMRUT cities may nevertheless be affected by future 24x7 water supply projects implemented through their urban local bodies.