This story is from July 31, 2020

Special team to keep strict vigil near Ghaggar

Panchkula deputy commissioner (DC) M K Ahuja formed a special team of irrigation department, villagers and cops to keep a strict vigil near the Ghaggar to avoid any mishap during the rainy season.
Special team to keep strict vigil near Ghaggar
Sarpanches of villages asked to conduct regular patrolling
PANCHKULA: Panchkula deputy commissioner (DC) M K Ahuja formed a special team of irrigation department, villagers and cops to keep a strict vigil near the Ghaggar to avoid any mishap during the rainy season.
People living in shanties along the Ghaggar have also been asked to move to the upper areas. The DC has imposed Section 33 of the National Disaster Management Act 2005 and chaired a meeting with the officials of the revenue and irrigation departments along with SDMs of Panchkula and Kalka.
During the meeting, he ordered that sarpanches of villages near the Ghaggar should conduct regular patrolling along the river, especially in Burj Kotiyan, Kaushalaya Dam and Ghaggar near Majri chowk.

The police will also conduct regular patrolling in the area from time to time to make sure nobody goes near the Ghaggar. The executive engineer of the irrigation department told the DC that they had blocked the way towards the Ghaggar so that no one could go for taking a bath inside the river.
The irrigation department will also install warning boards near the river at high risk points and entry towards the river. The department will also provide daily report of water level to the DC office. The department must also arrange boats and keep all other necessary equipment ready with them in case water overflows or emergency situation arises.
Dheeraj Chahal, SDM, Panchkula, and Rakesh Sandhu, SDM, Kalka, will be the overall in charge and keep a check on the works done by the other departments.

The water level at the Ghaggar increases and comes to shanties sometimes and there are more than hundreds of families living in these shanties on the bank of the river.
Officials informed that it is risky to go close to the river during the monsoon as water level changes every hour due to excess water coming from the mountains.
DC Ahuja said, “Orders have been given to the cops and officials of the irrigation department to keep a 24X7 vigil at the Ghaggar to avoid any mishap.”
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About the Author
Arvind Bishnoi

Arvind Bishnoi is a senior correspondent who covers all beats of Panchkula district, Panjab University and school education in Chandigarh. As a shadow, he covers Chandigarh crime, Chandigarh courts and Mohali administration. Arvind Bishnoi has been working with the TOI Chandigarh Edition since 2015. Arvind Bishnoi has done his Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from Chitkara University, Rajpura campus.

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