Bihar Water Resources Department Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary today directed the officials of his department constantly monitor embankments on various rivers and restoration of canals with funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
Chaudhary presiding over a two-day meeting of chief engineers of Balmiki Nagar, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Siwan, Darbhanga,Purnea and Birpur, asked them to ensure that proportionate expenditure be made at all under-construction anti-flood and irrigation projects in Bihar.
Taking stock of the erosion preventive works and flood safety and maintenance projects in the state, Chaudhary directed the engineers to constantly monitor the embankments and canals and undertake restoration of canals with funds from the MNREGA.
Expressing satisfaction with the availability of the raw materials like sand, E.C. BAGs, nylon kits, boulder, geo bag, geo kits, for use to prevent surge of river waters, the WRD Minister said that the upgradation and strengthening of embankments should be expeditiously undertaken with the assistance of the concerned district administration in time.
He said that the department to complete utilization certificate for works undertaken under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) so that additional installments from the centre could be released.
Observing that irrigation infrastructure was key to success of the state government's agriculture road map, the WRD Minister asked the officials to pay attention to enhancement of irrigation capacity and directed them to ensure that water in the canals must reach to its end so that the farmers could plant kharif crops.
Speaking on the occasion, the Principal Secretary (WRD) Deepak Kumar Singh asked the chief engineers to set up huts at sensitive places and instal wireless sets to monitor embankments and spurs.
