New Operation And Maintenance Policy Introduced To Ensure Faster And Efficient Rural Drinking Water Supply.

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Sabroom, Tripura, 8th of August, 2026 : The state government has introduced a new Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Policy for the first time to ensure the sustainable, uninterrupted, and efficient functioning of rural drinking water supply projects implemented under the central government’s Jal Jeevan Mission.

The objective of this state government policy is to ensure a continuous supply of safe and quality drinking water to rural households in every Gram Panchayat and ADC Village. Under the new policy, Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) in Gram Panchayats and ADC Villages will be responsible at the local level for minor pipeline leakage repairs, maintenance of valves and taps, operation of water pumps, regular cleaning and sanitation, and other essential management activities. This will enable faster resolution of water supply-related issues.

On the other hand, the responsibility for major maintenance of Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), innovative water supply systems, and Iron Removal Plants (IRPs) will remain with the Public Health Engineering (Drinking Water and Sanitation) Department (DWS). In addition, to ensure the long-term maintenance of the projects, water user charges will be collected as per government-prescribed norms. The funds collected will be used for electricity bills, operation, and maintenance of the respective projects, helping to ensure uninterrupted drinking water services in rural areas.

Sub-Divisional Officer of the Sabroom DWS Sub-Division, Debabrata Tripura, stated that the implementation of this new Operation and Maintenance (O&M) policy will strengthen public participation, ensure faster services, improve transparency and accountability, and enhance the long-term sustainability of rural drinking water supply systems. The new policy has been implemented only in Gram Panchayats and ADC Villages, excluding Nagar Panchayats. In the event of any major issue, the concerned department will take prompt action to resolve it.

Sabroom Sub-Division has three RD Blocks and a TTAADC Sub-Division Zonal Office. Specifically, Sadchand RD Block has 39 Gram Panchayats, while Rupaichhari RD Block has 18 ADC Village offices. Paoyangbari RD Block has 4 Gram Panchayats and 3 ADC Village offices, making a total of 7. He expressed hope that the new initiative will help resolve issues related to rural drinking water supply more quickly and efficiently.