Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini directed that special attention be paid to making ponds in rural areas clean and beautiful, as well as ensuring their proper maintenance. He directed that dirty water should not be allowed to enter any pond directly and that arrangements should be made to ensure that water reaches the ponds only after scientific treatment. The Chief Minister was chairing a meeting of the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority at the Haryana Civil Secretariat on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that along with beautification of ponds, better facilities should also be developed around them for rural residents. He directed that in villages where new yogashalas are proposed, yogshalas with sheds and other necessary facilities should be constructed around ponds and open gyms should also be provided. This would encourage villagers to visit these places regularly and take greater interest in the upkeep of the ponds.
The meeting also discussed technologies such as mechanical aeration and nanobubble technology. The Chief Minister directed that these technologies be used as pilot projects and, if found effective, be implemented in other ponds as well.
Officials also apprised the Chief Minister of the status of 350 Amrit Sarovars. The Chief Minister directed that priority be given to the better utilisation and maintenance of completed ponds. He also directed that future allotment/auction of village ponds for fisheries be carried out as per the prescribed procedure and that attention be paid to their better utilisation in the public interest.
Special mechanism to be developed
Officials informed that a special mechanism for ponds would also be developed on the lines of the ‘Mhari Sadak’ app. Through this mechanism, members of the public would be able to register complaints regarding the poor condition or improvement of a pond, along with location tagging. The complaints would be forwarded to the concerned sarpanch and officials so that immediate necessary action could be taken.
ADCs to review maintenance; reports to be prepared
A provision has been made to make available 5 per cent of the Development and Panchayats Department’s budget for pond maintenance. Specific directions were also issued to involve VBG-RAM G in these works. Officials of the Development and Panchayats Department informed the Chief Minister that a committee has been constituted in every village for the maintenance of ponds, with the sarpanch as its chairperson and the village secretary and other concerned representatives as members.
Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority to monitor every aspect
The Chief Minister stressed the need for reviewing and standardising the designs and drawings of ponds to ensure uniformity and quality in works undertaken at different locations. He said that the responsibility of the officer concerned for the renovation, beautification and maintenance of a pond would be clearly defined and accountability fixed. Action would be taken in case of negligence. He directed the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority to conduct periodic inspections and recommend action wherever any compromise in quality is found.
Work underway to make ponds an integral part of village beautification
Executive Vice Chairman of the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority, Vimal Goswami, said that the government’s objective is to make ponds clean and beautiful and integrate them with the overall beautification of villages. Accordingly, work is being undertaken to clean ponds, improve water quality and ensure better maintenance.
He said that the new technologies as directed by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini would first be used as pilot projects and, if they yield encouraging results, would subsequently be adopted for other ponds as well. Village committees are also being involved in the upkeep of ponds. The endeavour is to transform ponds with clean water and well-maintained surroundings into attractive public spaces for villagers.
