Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla will start kidney transplant facility from February 2019. Replying to a question by Congress MLA from Kasumpti, Anirudh Singh, Health and Family Welfare Minister Vipin Singh Parmar said the government had made provision of Rs 4 crore budget to start the facility of kidney transplant in IGMC in 2018- 19.

He said it required comprehensive training of doctors and other staff. He said the chief secretary had convened a meeting in July month with the specialists from IGMC to work out modalities for kidney transplant. They would be completed by January 2019, he hoped.

He said that would facilitate people from the state, who have to either go to Chandigarh or Delhi for kidney transplant.

In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA, Vikramaditya Singh, HP Urban Development and Country Planning Minister Sarween Chaudhary said the World Bank had approved in principal a financial assistance of Rs 929.89 crore for water supply and sewerage project for Shimla.

The final negotiation meeting for loan sanction will be held on 24 October. The assistance will be made as a development policy loan. There are six sources of drinking water supply to Shimla town with a total water supply capacity of 54 million litre per day (MLD). These included Gumma and Giri.

The minister said to ensure regular supply of drinking water, particularly during summer, there is need to augment the Gumma water source from the Sutlej river and the construction of storage dams on Giri river.

Providing filter units in 13 ‘bouries’ or natural water bodies in Shimla to provide water for non-potable uses will be the another step to meet the water requirements.

In reply to another question on slow progress in sewerage schemes in urban areas for different reasons, Chaudhary said the urban development department will constitute a coordination committee, involving the Irrigation and Public health department, to ensure that the schemes are completed.

Intervening, CM Jai Ram Thakur said the state government would involve the two departments, urban development and irrigation and public health, to formulate a bigger project for sewerage schemes, which could be submitted to centre for getting better fund flow.