Nagpur: The state govt has ordered the construction of at least 100 water-absorbing pits in every village of the 304 talukas declared drought-hit for this Kharif season, as part of a set of soil and water conservation works. The talukas are those where Trigger-1 and Trigger-2 were applied, according to a GR issued by the soil and water conservation department.Field offices of the department must complete ongoing and incomplete works under its schemes and repair existing conservation structures. Gates or planks must be fixed on all bunds to hold water, with regular field inspection, while defunct bunds must be repaired and fitted with needles, govt ordered.Further instructions were given for removal of silt from water bodies in villages, along with deepening and widening of nullahs. Govt said that authorities must ensure that temporary check dams are built in districts. Recharge shafts must be taken up at nullah deepening sites, bunds and lakes, and rainwater harvesting structures must be built on govt and private buildings. The GR also directed effective implementation of works by voluntary organisations such as Paani Foundation, Naam Foundation, Tata Trusts and Chandra Foundation.The works must be funded from Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0 and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’s watershed development component 2.0 in villages covered by them. Other sources include district planning funds, special component and tribal sub-plan funds, the Mineral Development Fund, MP, MLA and MLC funds, CSR and any other available govt funds. The GR directs that funds of the Employment Guarantee Scheme and VB G RAM G be used first for as many works as possible.District collectors have been authorised to sanction repair works costing below Rs25 lakh and within 20% of prevailing financial norms. Repairs must be prioritised after verifying updated data on structures that need them.All works must be geo-tagged and updated on the portals of the respective schemes. The executive engineer of each district must submit a consolidated report to govt every 15 days through the superintending engineer, and chief engineers must monitor this. Works must follow existing GRs, circulars, financial rules and technical norms.The order follows GRs issued by the relief and rehabilitation department on Sept 25 and Oct 14 declaring drought in these talukas and announcing relief measures.
