412 flood control projects, 50 control rooms to be ready by Jun 15: Official

The CM also directed the DM of the vulnerable districts to conduct pre-flood inspections in the presence of the local MPs, MLAs, district panchayat president, mayor or chairperson

Ahead of the monsoon season, Uttar Pradesh has expedited preparations for flood management as several projects were being completed on a war footing, a spokesperson for the state government has said.

On the direction of the chief minister, around 50 flood control rooms are being set up across the state, including one in the state capital, that will likely become operational by June 15, a government spokesperson said (File)

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has also reviewed the preparations and asked officials concerned to complete all ongoing flood control projects in the state by June 15, the official added.

On the direction of the chief minister, around 50 flood control rooms are being set up across the state, including one in the state capital, that will likely become operational by June 15, the spokesperson said, adding steering groups, headed by district magistrates, have met and discussed the preparations for monsoon, in 73 districts.

Last fiscal, the government had taken up and completed 282 flood control projects. This year, the government aims to complete 412 projects, 265 of which are new, he added. The ‘113’ wireless center, to be run from the state police radio headquarters in Lucknow, will be operational during the monsoon period to facilitate quick exchange of flood information, he said.

Meanwhile, the CM is paying special attention to the flood control works in the 24 ‘vulnerable’ districts: Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gorakhpur, Basti, Bahraich, Bijnor, Siddharthnagar, Ghazipur, Gonda, Ballia, Deoria, Sitapur, Balrampur, Ayodhya, Mau, Farrukhabad, Shravasti, Badayun, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, SantakabirNagar, Pilibhit and Barabanki.

“Also, 780 flood protection committees have been constituted. District magistrates are inspecting vulnerable and sensitive embankments to complete the repair work on a priority basis, the official said.

The CM also directed the DM of the vulnerable districts to conduct pre-flood inspections in the presence of the local MPs, MLAs, district panchayat presidents, mayor or chairperson of the urban body. “The CM wants districts to have their own action plan for disaster management while youths should be trained by NDRF/SDRF. All vulnerable embankments will have designated officers in-charge who will monitor the situation regularly,” he said.