Irrigation dept told to clean up rivers

In a brazenly belated move with monsoon baring its vicious fangs, Dehradun district magistrate Ravinath Raman has directed the Municipal Corporation and Irrigation department officials to ensure that litters are cleared from rivers, rivulets and nullahs in the city. 

DM Raman acted after Dehradun had received around 70 mm rainfall accompanied by gusty winds on Sunday night, an observer said. 

“Such a god sense should have dawned on him much earlier,” he added

Raman conducted physical inspection along Rispana and Bindal rivers on Monday and directed the administrative and Municipal Corporation officers to ensure that encroached lands along the rivers are freed in a day.

Raman observed that some persons have encroached lands outside the flood security walls along the river, throwing laws to the winds. During inspection, he ordered the officials to stop work on under- construction nullahs near Indresh Hospital and the under- construction flood protection walls along Bindal river. He ordered City Magistrate lalit Narayan Mishra to conduct a probe regarding the same along with the sub-divisional magistrate concerned and to submit inspection report to him soon.

The irrigation department officers were also directed to complete all the proposed flood security walls in the city without delay. Those residing in encroached lands along the rivers should be shifted to prevent loss of life.

The DM ordered the administrative officers to seize the belongings of those residing illegally along the rivers in the state capital. “The encroachers would be responsible for such actions,” he said.