By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 20 Jun: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has issued strict instructions to senior officials of the government that water conservation in Uttarakhand should not be considered as just a government scheme, but serious work should be done on it on mission mode under a long term vision. Expressing concern over the drying up of water sources in the state, CM Dhami directed that a weekly review of the progress of water conservation schemes, be held in the state at the level of Additional Chief Secretary. He said that the three months of the upcoming monsoon are very crucial for the state from the point of view of rain water conservation and that departments concerned should work on this with a proactive approach. The CM was reviewing the action plan of various departments for making necessary arrangements/construction for water conservation.
Dhami announced the setting up of a water conservation board or authority in the state for water conservation. He said that a geographically small state like Uttarakhand has 100 percent potential of becoming a model state in every field. The CM also directed the Forest Department to replace pine trees in the state with oak and deodar trees.
The CM said that Forest Department, Watershed Department, Irrigation Department, Agriculture Department and Rural Development Department should work together on a comprehensive action plan for water conservation in the state. He said that all departments concerned should clarify what was the result of the water conservation efforts that have been made by them so far. The Chief Minister has given strict instructions to the officers that in order to make Uttarakhand a model state in every field, all departments should pay attention to their excellent performance and try to give results on the ground instead of formal meetings.
Additional Chief Secretaries Radha Raturi and Anand Vardhan, Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu, Shailesh Bagoli, and other high officials of Forest Department, Agriculture Department, Watershed Department and Irrigation Department were present in the meeting.
