Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed the officials concerned to complete works pertaining to cleaning of drains and flood protection at vulnerable sites across the State well before June 30.

Mann, chairing a meeting of the State Flood Control Board to review the ongoing flood protection works in the state, said that the total length of drains in the State was 8136.76 kilometres and that of the Dhussi bandh was 1365 kilometres. “In 2022, Rs 34.85 crore was spent on 232 works of drain cleaning and Rs 48.32 crore on 100 flood protection works. This year, Rs 39.90 crore has been spent, so far, on flood protection works and Rs 39.43 crore on cleaning of drains,” he added. 

The Chief Minister said that the work is going on in all the districts and work of the cleaning of waterways beneath bridges and removing silt lumps from waterways, besides strengthening weak points prone to frequent flooding due to rains, has already been started.

“I will regularly oversee the flood protection works being undertaken in close coordination with the Deputy Commissioners across the State,” he said.

Showing concern over the colossal loss of human lives, livestock, property and standing crops due to floods, he directed the Department to take all possible steps to ensure that there was no recurrence of floods as witnessed in recent past.

“For the same, construction of check dams, planting of trees especially that of Bamboos and others, must be encouraged,” he said, adding that 485 sites for construction of check dams have already been identified, while 151 such check dams have already been constructed.

The identification of more sites for construction of dams is also going on and bamboo plantation has also been covered on 66.73 kilometres, he added.

To prevent floods in south-western Punjab, the State Government has taken several initiatives like rectifying the alignment of some drains, laying down of pipes to connect the low lying areas with canals, and remodeling of bridges, said the Chief Minister.

At the same time, he asked the officers to make sure that the work is done at the highest quality by ensuring optimum utilization of the government funds. Mann said that the State Government is committed to save the people from the scourge of floods for which no stone will be left unturned.