Cabinet panel asks for report on desilting of projects by Aug. 14
Cabinet sub-committee on sediment management in projects, chaired by Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, at a meeting in Hyderabad on Friday.
The Cabinet sub-committee on management of sediment in irrigation projects, chaired by Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, has decided to take up removal of sediments in tune with the guidelines framed by the Centre, without compromising on safety of projects.
Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Jupally Krishna Rao, Secretary (Irrigation) Rahul Bojja, Special Secretary Prashant J. Patil, Adviser Aditya Nath Das, Secretary (Geology) Surendra Mohan, Director of Mines Susheel Kumar, and Engineer-in-Chief G. Anil Kumar, participated in the meeting held on Friday.
The committee asked the departments concerned to prepare a comprehensive report on desilting of projects by August 14 with a timeline. The ministers suggested the authorities to take up a study of sediment removal in States where it was already being done so that it could be useful while taking up the same here.
Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the Centre had given permission to go for desilting of project within the guidelines specified for the purpose and while doing so, there was no need for environmental clearance. He asked the Mines and Geology departments to come to a decision in consultation with the Irrigation Department on taking up desiltation wherever possible without compromising on the safety of the projects.
The committee told the authorities to give sediments, in case it was available in the form of alluvial soil, free of cost to farmers. The ministers asked the officials to prepare guidelines so that farmers could bear the transportation charges on their own for taking soil from the project beds to their fields. In case sand was available, it should be given for the construction activity.
The ministers felt that the originally-designed capacity of the projects could be restored with sediment removal either fully or partly.
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