Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Jan: A meeting of the State Executive Committee was held at the Secretariat here today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan. During the meeting, several proposals received under the State Disaster Response Fund and the State Disaster Mitigation Fund were approved. The Chief Secretary issued clear directions to the officials to ensure strict monitoring of both quality and physical progress of works.
Granting recommendations on a range of proposals, Bardhan stressed that continuous review of execution on the ground is essential and directed the Disaster Management Department to closely monitor the utilisation of funds sanctioned for the approved projects. He also insisted that physical progress reports must be regularly obtained from concerned departments in the prescribed MCR format to ensure transparency and accountability.
During the meeting, the CS instructed the Irrigation Department to activate its Planning Committee of Engineers under the leadership of the departmental head and made it clear that no proposal be forwarded unless it had been thoroughly examined by the committee from both technical and financial perspectives. To further strengthen technical scrutiny in disaster-related works, he directed the Secretary Disaster to include the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department (PWD) as a permanent member of the State Executive Committee meetings. Emphasising the need for standardisation, he also called for the formulation of clear norms for flood protection works. He also pointed out that project-specific requirements would differ depending on site conditions and the nature of interventions. He observed that execution should be tailored to the local circumstances and advocated the use of vegetative protection measures wherever feasible as part of sustainable disaster mitigation efforts.
In addition, Bardhan further directed the head of the Irrigation Department to prepare a comprehensive proposal for the improvement and strengthening of various canal systems in Dehradun, aimed at repairing and upgrading the existing network to enhance structural stability and reduce vulnerability during the monsoon season. Among those present were Principal Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries V Shanmugam, Vinod Kumar Suman, Anand Swarup and Additional Secretary Ranjana Rajguru, while other senior officials participated through video conferencing, reflecting the administration’s continued focus on preparedness and coordinated disaster management planning.
