Delhi CM directs constitution of panels to fight waterlogging in all 13 districts

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) On the directions of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, District-Level Coordination Committees (DLCCs) have been constituted in all 13 districts to effectively address the problem of waterlogging, an official said on Tuesday. 

Chief Minister Gupta said that the objective of these committees is to prevent waterlogging and minimise its impact through better coordination among various departments and agencies, ensuring public safety during the monsoon.

The committees have been tasked with taking preventive measures against waterlogging, monitoring the effective implementation of monsoon preparedness strategies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and ensuring that the necessary measures are in place to prevent and tackle waterlogging during and after the monsoon, the official said in a statement.

According to an order issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the District Magistrate (DM) of the respective district will chair each District-Level Coordination Committee.

The committees will comprise the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned Municipal Corporation, the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), the Executive Engineer of the concerned Municipal Corporation/New Delhi Municipal Council/Delhi Cantonment Board, the Executive Engineers of the Delhi Jal Board and the Delhi Development Authority and the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) of the concerned district.

Representatives of the district's power distribution companies, BSES and TPDDL, will be members of the committee, while the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of the concerned district will serve as the Member Secretary, the statement said.

The District-Level Coordination Committees, constituted on the directions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, will be responsible for overseeing the effective implementation and monitoring of district-level monsoon preparedness measures.

Besides ensuring the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) prepared by the State-Level Coordination Committee (SLCC), the committees will facilitate interdepartmental coordination on operational issues among departments responsible for managing roads and all types of drains, it said.

They will also monitor key activities such as coordination among the concerned agencies at drain junctions, cleaning of bellmouths, desilting of drains, deployment of temporary pumps and inspection of waterlogging-prone vulnerable locations.

In addition, the committees will play an important role in identifying vulnerable waterlogging-prone locations, monitoring preparedness on the ground and ensuring the timely resolution of issues.

--IANS

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