HP CS asks officials to identify debris dumping sites, prioritise rain-hit dists for muck removal

Shimla, Sep 29 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena has instructed the authorities concerned to identify suitable muck dumping sites, with special focus on the districts most affected by natural disasters in 2023 and 2025, officials said on Monday.

He informed that, henceforth, the power to grant permission for muck removal has been delegated to district disaster management authorities, instead of at the state level.

He also emphasised that Mandi, Kullu, Chamba and Shimla districts should be accorded top priority when it comes to muck removal.

Saxena also instructed the PWD secretary to coordinate closely with departments such as Forest, Jal Shakti and the National Highways Authority of India to ensure effective planning and implementation.

The chief secretary on Saturday presided over the 26th meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC), which discussed the establishment of early warning systems by specified dam authorities. He stated that Himachal Pradesh has 30 major dams, of which 25 have been completed and five are under construction.

At the meeting, deliberations were held on the preliminary project report under National Landslide Risk Mitigation Programme with an outlay of Rs 139 crore. This will now be submitted to the National Disaster Management Authority.

Additionally, the SEC also took up the preliminary project report under Forest Fire Risk Mitigation and Management scheme, which has been granted an outlay of Rs 8.16 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund, for ex-post facto approval.

The committee also considered ex-post facto approval for to utilise national and state disaster response force funds amounting to Rs 78.76 lakh for the removal of 46,988 cubic metres of debris from public places in Mandi district.

A proposal for the establishment of a State Disaster Response Reserve on the lines of the National Disaster Response Reserve was also discussed and approved in the meeting, officials said. PTI BPL RUK RUK