The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources has urged the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to come out with a fresh initiative so that Budget projections are made on a pragmatic basis.

The panel urged the Ministry to undertake pre-Budget approvals of its projects from various Central agencies so that much time “is not wasted bureaucratic delays.” Citing the “quantum jump” of 86.32 per cent in the Budget allocations of the Ministry in the current fiscal, the panel urged it to make a workable action plan for achieving better fund utilisation before the end of this financial year. The committee expressed its displeasure for the Ministry not restructuring the Central Water Commission despite several recommendations in the past. On the Namami Gange programme, the panel asked the Centre to initiate urgent action so that it can be implemented in the next three years. The Ministry has also been urged to ensure that the 17 polluting industries along the Ganga set up electronic sensors and real-time effluent monitoring system by March 31.

Dam safety

The committee said it was perturbed to note that the Government has not carried out any assessment of the safety levels of dams saying that maintenance is done by the State governments. It pointed out that 67 dams had been constructed before 1900 and 306 between 1900 and 1950. It urged the Centre to ensure a safety review of dams that are 15 metre high or which store 50,000-acre feet or more, by an independent panel of experts, once in 10 years.

Expressing concern over the recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir, the panel urged the Central Water Commission to set up a flood forecasting site in the State, and asked the Ministry to undertake a comprehensive study of the entire flood-related scenario in the area within next six months and come up with an implementable time-bound action programme.

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