Irrigation and Housing & Urban Affairs Projects Reviewed at Janata Bhawan

An important meeting under the Mission Flood Free Guwahati was held today at Loka Sewa Bhawan, Dispur chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal and attended by Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota. The meeting focused on strategies to mitigate artificial flooding in Guwahati city before the next monsoon season. Various departments presented their plans to address the issue, including discussions on advanced drainage systems and immediate actionable measures. The meeting also reviewed the recommendations of a special committee led by Kamrup (Metropolitan) District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan. This committee, which collected 275 citizen suggestions, identified practical solutions for flood-prone areas, including Rukminigaon, Juripar, Wireless-Bashishtapur and Hatigaon.

During the meeting, Minister Singhal emphasized the need for immediate and long-term strategies. The Directorate of Town & Country Planning presented a satellite-based survey analyzing the road and drainage layouts of flood-affected areas. Based on this data, Minister Singhal directed the departments to finalize short-term measures to be implemented within the next three to four months. He stressed the timely completion of sludge removal from all sewers of the city including major water channels like Bharlu, Bahini, and Lakhimijan, along with proper and immediate disposal of waste. He also instructed the Public Works Department to construct and improve sewerage systems in critical areas like Juripar and Hatigaon and to adopt scientific drainage methods for Rukminigaon-Bashishtapur.

The meeting also reviewed last monsoon’s artificial flooding in Dibrugarh city and discussed the proposed drainage projects recommended by the Directorate of Town & Country Planning. Key projects included the construction of sewers from Murlidhar Jalan bus Terminus to Sesa river and from Mohanbari airport to the Sesa river alongwith the reconfiguration of culverts of Dibrugarh Town Protection drain in the city. Minister Singhal issued important directives to the concerned officials to ensure the timely execution of these plans.

The meeting was attended by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Chairman Narayan Deka; Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department Gyanendra Deb Tripathi; Commissioner & Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs Department Kavitha Padmanabhan; Secretary Pabitra Ram Khaund, Commissioner and Special Secretary, Public Works (Roads) department Chandan Sharma; Commissioner, Guwahati Municipal Corporation Meghnidhi Dahal; Chief Executive Officer, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Anbamuthan MP and Kamrup (Metropolitan) District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan and other top officials of all stakeholder departments like Public Works Department, Water Resources Department, Indian Railways, NH Authority etc.

Minister Singhal reaffirmed the Assam government’s commitment to ensuring flood resilience in urban areas and improving living conditions for its citizens. He highlighted the importance of a collaborative and data-driven approach in addressing these challenges and ensuring sustainable urban infrastructure.

Later in the day, Minister Singhal reviewed the progress of several key projects implemented by the Irrigation Department and Housing and Urban Affairs Department in a series of separate meetings held at Janata Bhawan. These projects included initiatives by Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and Mission Amrut. Additional Chief Secretary, Irrigation, Syedain Abbasi; Commissioner & Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs, Kavitha Padmanabhan; Secretary of both the departments, Pabitra Ram Khaund and top officials of the concerned departments were present at this meetings.