Saturday, 18 June 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Representing chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj attended a workshop on Dam Safety Act 2021 presided over by the Union minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the national Capital. He said that as per the Act, all State governments were required to form State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) and State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) within 180 days of the law being enacted. The Uttarakhand government acted swiftly and formed the SCDS and SDSO on May 2 this year within the set time frame.
Maharaj said that activities of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) to be formed by the Central Government were discussed in the workshop. This committee will recommend necessary policies and rules for the safety of dams. It will also work at the national level for exchange of ideas and techniques used in various States. He further informed that presently there are about 30 major dams in Uttarakhand. He thanked the Union minister for increasing the Rs 2.50 lakh per hectare cost limit under PMKSY to Rs four lakh. He submitted a letter to Shekhawat stating that more than 300 out of 3,069 canals in the State were damaged in 2010 and 2013 disasters and are still not operational. He sought amendment and relaxation in standards for renovation, repair and strengthening of canals in mountain States under surface minor irrigation schemes.
He also submitted another letter to Shekhawat requesting that work on the Jamrani dam multipurpose project should be started soon for which approval should be granted under PMKSY.
