Local Government Minister Balkar Singh holds video conference with the officials to deal with the problems arising during the monsoon season

Instructions issued to authorities to take care of water drainage and basic facilities during rainy season

Chandigarh: The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Maan is working on a war footing to provide maximum facilities to every citizen of the state and to develop the infrastructure of the state.In order to fulfill the same objective, the Minister of Local Government Balkar Singh has directed the municipal commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, Executive officers and other officers of Municipal councils to ensure complete drainage of rainwater, cleanliness of drains and to provide other basic facilities to the people in the state through a video conference held from Chandigarh on Monday.

During the meeting, Local Government Minister Balkar Singh discussed with the officials regarding the advance preparations considering the upcoming monsoon and the departmental readiness to deal with the problems faced by the people during the rainy season and reviewed the ongoing development works.

In the meeting, the minister said that special attention should be paid to sewage cleanliness.He said that if there is a sewerage blockage anywhere, the necessary bucket machines, jetting machines , jet sucking machines and necessary manpower should be arranged. He said that provision of pumps and generator sets should also be ensured for water extraction.He said that insecticides should be arranged for the prevention of mosquitoes and flies during the rainy season and supply of clean water to the people should be ensured. He said that all the manholes should be well covered to avoid any untoward incident.

The minister instructed the officials that if a flood-like situation occurs in an area, other buildings should be identified in advance to shift the people there to safe buildings. He said that the people living in such areas should be informed in advance and suitable arrangements should be made for their safety. He said that complete drainage of rainwater should be ensured during the rainy season. The minister said that fogging should also be done from time to time during the rainy season. The minister asked the officials to ensure swift action to deal with the challenges arising due to rain.

On this occasion, Local Government Minister Balkar Singh gave strict instructions to the officials that disciplinary action will be taken against the officials who are negligent in their work. He said that the main objective of the Bhagwant Maan government is to protect people’s lives and property and the government is committed to achieving this goal.

Punjab Water Supply Sewerage Board CEO Malvinder Singh Jaggi, Local Government Department Director Uma Shankar Gupta and other officials were also present in this meeting.