In a bid to review the preparations for the Ardh (half) Kumbh-2016, the Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar convened a meeting with the officials at the Vidhan Sabha on Saturday. During the meeting, he said there is need to establish better coordination among the departments so as to ensure we achieve our desired goal for Kumbh-2016 in which works worth Rs 1037 crore will be executed by 36 departments.
Panwar categorically asked them to make arrangement for parking to ensure the roads are uncluttered with unauthorized parking. Even the municipal corporation Haridwar has been authorised to clean the areas under their jurisdictional and to sprinkle required pesticides and make arrangement for parking as well. Earlier, parking arrangements were taken care of by the tourism and irrigation department. Now MCH has been made accountable.
MCH has been asked to install high mask light and even do the maintenance works as well. Apart from MCH, high mask light will be installed by the Haridwar Development authority (HDA). Haridwar district administration has been instructed to frame plans about how to organise the Kumbha Mela in a professional manner. If you find the manpower not sufficient send employees on deputation till the fresh recruitment is made, the Minister said.
Even the administration was asked to prepare a detailed project report of the proposed plans and also to define how many works would be of a permanent nature and how many of a temporary nature and to segregate the one from the other.
Although the department has send a list of their employees to the Mela officer the nodal officer is yet to be appointed. Panwar instructed them to appoint nodal officer next week. As we know that Mela would begin by January 1, 2016 and will continue till April 30, 2016 and the shahi snan would be held in course of the mela we will have to press into service our full- fledged team from each of the 36 departments. He also instructed MCH to beautify all the roundabouts, which comes into their jurisdiction, of Mela region.
He also instructed the Haridwar DM to identify the works, the execution of which will take long gestation periods and place them during the Chief Minister’s review meeting. He stressed on erecting permanent structures so that the locals are benefitted on a long- term basis. This is all the more important in view of the fact that Kumbh Mela would be held in 2022. Even the tourism department was asked to build resorts which will be used by the officers and the VIPs during the Kumba Mela. later the tourism department can run the resorts on PPP mode. During the meeting it was revealed that Rs 60 crore meant for the last Kumbha Mela-2010 is still lying with PlA. Even Mela Act-1938 needs to be amended and this matter should be put during the CM’s review meeting.
DM Pandian said they would give more responsibilities to the officer to make them more accountable. Such a decision needs to be taken by the State Government. Mela officer does not have technical authority nor does he have enough man power. We will constitute technical cells so that we can review things technicality before we make payment to the executing agencies. later, Panwar nodded to the proposal of technical committees being formed. Ganga Pollution Board gets money from the union government and even they do not execute works phase- wise. Even we fail to follow up with the Union Government due to the communication gap existing among the departments.
During the meeting, the urban development secretary DS Garbyal, Deputy secretary Omkar Singh, under secretary Rayees Ahmed and some others were present.