Chandigarh: On the instructions of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann to review the arrangements to deal with any situation during the upcoming monsoon season, Chief Secretary Mr. Anurag Verma held a meeting with the senior officials of the relevant departments and all the Deputy Commissioners to review the status and preparations of flood prevention works.
Chief Secretary Mr. Verma said that the state government is fully prepared to deal with any situation during the coming monsoon season.
He said that a large number of works are under progress in the state which will be completed before the onset of monsoon. Taking cognizance of the preparations being made for the flood season, the Chief Secretary asked the Deputy Commissioners to keep ECs filled with soil at various strategic locations in view of past incidents.
The Chief Secretary, releasing the details of the works being done by the state government, said that for the first time, 65 works with a cost of Rs 75 crore are being done by the Water Resources Department through the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).
Apart from this, 716 works worth about Rs 150 crore are being carried out under and in conjunction with MGNREGA. Along with this, 129 works worth of Rs 15 crore are to be completed through the departmental machinery.
He further informed that on the basis of priority and need, 327 works worth about Rs. 81 crore are proposed to be done through state funds. In this way, a total of 1237 works will be carried out by the Water Resources Department in the year 2024-25 worth about Rs 321 crore.
This time a new initiative has been started by planting bamboo plants on the banks of the drains. Bamboo plants act as a natural barrier and prevent damage to drain banks. A total of 2,50,000 bamboo saplings have been planted along the drains. The department has also started construction of check dams to prevent floods. About 432 check dams have been constructed on the drains/chows.