STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Soil Conservation Minister Ashwini Ray Sarkar on Saturday inspected several ongoing and completed projects aimed at mitigating flash floods and soil erosion in the hilly areas of Guwahati city.
The Minister inspected the flood and soil erosion mitigation project at Jyotinagar, completed at a cost of Rs 2.07 crore. He also reviewed the ongoing flood mitigation project covering the Salbari, Bhawanipur and Chunsali Hill Watershed areas, being implemented at a cost of Rs 3.91 crore.
Sarkar further inspected the ongoing project in the Geetanagar Hill Watershed area, which was sanctioned at a cost of Rs 184.705 lakh. He took stock of the progress of the projects from officials of the Soil Conservation Department.
The projects are aimed at reducing the impact of flash floods, regulating the flow of water and silt, preventing soil erosion and improving soil stability in the city’s hilly areas. The department is implementing environment-based conservation measures to address flooding, drainage and erosion-related problems in the long term.
Following the inspection, the Minister interacted with residents at the premises of Shree Shree Shiv Mandir in Jyotinagar and at Bhawanipur. Residents raised issues related to artificial flooding, drainage and soil erosion in the areas.
Sarkar assured the residents that necessary steps would be taken to address the problems and directed departmental officials to ensure the timely completion of the projects without compromising on quality.
He also stressed that the benefits of the projects should reach the local population.
The Director of the Soil Conservation Directorate, local Soil Conservation officers, GMC councillors Manoj Nath and Kabita Sarma, besides other departmental officials, were present during the inspection.
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