Chandigarh/Dera Bassi (Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar), June 22: Punjab Water Resources Minister S. Chetan Singh Jouramajra today directed the department officials to complete the ongoing strengthening work of the Tiwana bandh of Ghaggar within a stipulated time to avert any untoward incident during the Monsoon onset.

Commitment to Pre-Monsoon Preparedness in Ghaggar

          Visiting the Tiwana, Amlala, Khajur Mandi and Alamgir, the villages prone to the Ghaggar’s flood water, along with MLA Dera Bassi S. Kuljit Singh Randhawa, the Cabinet said that Chief Minister  Bhagwant Singh Mann, leading the Punjab Government, has committed to ensuring pre-monsoon arrangements across the state. He emphasised that they are actively strengthening and cleaning water bodies, and stressed zero tolerance for any laxity in meeting quality and deadline standards for the works.

Minister allocated about Rs.9 crore for fortifying

    The Water Resources Minister allocated about Rs.9 crore for fortifying and repairing the Bandh across the Ghaggar in Tiwana, Alamgir area to install a 2900 feet long bandh. They have completed 2400 feet of the work already and will finish the remaining 500 feet on a war footing to provide relief to villagers along the Ghaggar bandh.”

          On a demand for a porcelain machine for the work by the local residents, the Cabinet Minister Immediately ordered the engineers present on the spot to arrange the required machinery at the earliest to speed up the strengthening work. The Minister assured the residents of all the flood protection measurements, including cleaning of Sarsini-Sdhanpur rivulet, before the onset of Monsoon.

Demanded the immediate need for road repair.

          MLA Kuljit Singh while apprising the Water Resources Minister of the previous year’s flood situation, also sought the repair work of Amlala Bridge, which connects the area to Patiala road, on priority. Similarly, explaining the bad road conditions caused due to Jam on the Shambhu Border as an alternate route for the traffic through Amlala and nearby villages, MLA Kuljit Singh demanded the immediate need for road repair.

Earlier, Water Resources Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra, along with MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa, assessed the ongoing work at Mubarkpur Causeway near Truck Union Dera Bassi and reviewed the progress of the work being carried out by the Municipal Council, Dera Bassi.

MLA Randhawa stated that repairs on another causeway from Bhankharpur to Issapur are also underway, with an estimated cost of Rs. 1 crore, and expected to complete before the onset of the Monsoon. The Minister requested the required estimates to approve them by the Punjab Chief Minister.

          MLA Randhawa while expressing gratitude to the Water Resources Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra said that this visit would prove fruitful to push the ongoing works on Ghaggar to the finishing line, which will provide further big relief to the thousands of people who feel prone to the Ghaggar floods.

          SDM Dera Bassi Himanshu Gupta, Chief Engineer Water Resources Hardeep Singh Mehandiratta, Superintending Engineer Manoj Bansal and Executive Engineer Gurtej Singh Garcha were among the officers present there.