By Our Staff Reporter
Haridwar, 6 June: District in-charge Minister and State Irrigation, Public Works, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj has directed the irrigation department officials to immediately prepare an action plan and clean the drains to deal with the problems faced by local traders due to waterlogging around Chandracharya Chowk before the monsoon.
While holding a meeting with the officials in the City Control Centre (CCR) building on Thursday under his chairmanship, Satpal Maharaj said that, like every year, in view of the rainfall and flood situation during the monsoon period, a flood control room should be established in the nodal block of each district by 15 June. The Central Flood Control Room has been established in the Irrigation Block, Dehradun campus. He told the officials that due to waterlogging in Hadwa Nala in Laksar and Latowali in Kankhal, water entering people’s houses causes great damage. Therefore, it should be ensured that they are cleaned on time.
After the meeting, Minister Maharaj also conducted a surprise inspection of the registration transit camp for Chardham pilgrims located at Rishikul Ground and instructed the Tourism Secretary that, in order to reduce the queues of pilgrims, it is not practical for all the members of a family to stand in the registration line. Hence, an arrangement should be made that any one member of the family can stand in the line and get all the members registered.
After the meeting, Satpal Maharaj said that, in view of the monsoon season, a total of 113 flood posts will be established in 13 districts of the state before 15 June. He said that arrangements have been made to warn the villagers through flood posts. Apart from this, arrangements have been made to send immediate information to the employees through the mobile numbers of village heads and public representatives in case of disaster. Instructions have been given to continuously monitor the dams of reservoirs under the control of the Irrigation Department.
As many as 228 sensitive places have been identified in 13 districts of the state in view of floods and water logging during the monsoon. The department is preparing a master drainage plan for various cities for the plains, after the construction of which the problem of water logging will be solved.
Maharaj has directed the concerned sections to clean the canals as necessary to provide water available in the reservoirs to the farmers by running the canals at full capacity during the monsoon season, as well as to provide water available through canals for irrigation.
Irrigation Secretary Rajesh Kumar, District Magistrate Dheeraj Garbyal, MNA Varun Chaudhary, Chief Engineer of Irrigation Department Jaipal Singh, BJP District President Sandeep Goyal, District General Secretary Ashutosh Sharma, Jaipal Singh Chauhan, Ashu Chaudhary and many departmental officers were present at the meeting.
