Darjeeling : The Bengal government has formed a high-level advisory committee to oversee the implementation of the Rs 55-crore Balasun supply scheme that is expected to solve the water shortage problem in Darjeeling town. "The committee has been entrusted with the job of reviewing the progress of work, suggesting measures for the timely commission of the project and coordinating with all agencies including the DGHC,' said Pranai Rai, the MLA from Darjeeling, who heads the panel. The other members of the advisory committee formed on May 28 include Dawa Narbula and Suraj Pathak, MPs for the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively. Under the scheme, water will be pumped from the Balasun, about 30km from Darjeeling, over a distance of 12km in two phases. A fourth lake is expected to be set up at Tiger Hill for distribution of water. Currently, Darjeeling requires about 15-18 lakh gallons of water every day, but the municipality can provide only about 7-8 lakh gallons. The project, which is the first major initiative of the state government to end the water shortage in the tourist town, is expected to be completed by November 29, 2009. The Planning Commission had played a major role in initiating the scheme with a grant of Rs 10 crore. The rest of the amount was sanctioned by the state government. Rai said he would visit Balasun this Wednesday to review the work. "I had been there about three weeks ago and I am not satisfied with the progress. The committee, which will meet soon, will lay down a time frame to the construction agency,' said Rai. The MLA said if the work was not satisfactory, he might explore the possibility of filing a PIL. "I want to ensure that the project is successfully implemented. We will also ensure that the third lake at Sindhap is thoroughly repaired.' The Darjeeling municipality has also started a survey to overhaul the water distribution system in town. "A team of engineers from the Municipal Engineering Directorate, Calcutta, today studied the conduit lines between Senchel (where the reservoirs are situated) to the various small storage places in town,' said Pemba Tshering Ola, the chairman of the municipality who is also a member of the advisory committee. The municipality has also started work on the Integrated Housing Slum Development Project. Of the Rs 9.85 crore expected to be released, 47 per cent will be used for housing and the rest for developing infrastructure in the slum areas.