CM DIRECTS SECY TO STRENGTHEN DEPARTMENTAL EXPERTISE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
GANGTOK, 20 Oct: Recognising the important role such a department will play in the post-Earthquake rebuilding efforts in the State, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has instructed the as the Mines & Geology Department officials to strengthen and improve the department. With Sikkim sitting in an earthquake prone zone, technical and expert studies, opinions and suggestions on how to go about construction and development projects in the State is vital for future safety and security of structures as well as for the public.
The Chief Minister is informed to have convened a meeting with the Secretary, Mines & Geology, on 18 October and made known his desire to have a stronger and adequately modernized department. This would include better laboratory facilities and also better and more equipment to carry out tests etc.
The Secretary, G Upadhyay, informs that the Department would now work out a detailed project report for submission to the government. Better equipment and infrastructure will help the department come out with better and more detailed reports.
However, more admittedly needs to be done by the government as far as according a better status to the department is concerned. While the departmental experts conduct their surveys and soil testing for almost every construction project, their reports are hardly, if ever, taken seriously.
Their reports are not binding upon the involved parties. A couple of years ago, when the state was visited by a series of landslides, especially in the West district, the government had expressed seriousness about acquiring the expert opinion of the Mines & Geology Department and a high level meeting had also been chaired by the then Chief Secretary, TT Dorji.
Following this, a direction was issued making it mandatory to obtain the report of the department before any construction project.
However, the government stopped short of issuing a Notification and communicated this instruction in a Circular.
Meanwhile, a team from the Mines and Geology Department left for North Sikkim today to conduct their assessment of damages, particularly the cause of such extensive damage in North Sikkim. The team will be visiting Mangan, Chungthang and Dzongu.
Before any rebuilding and reconstruction is taken up in the North district, the government has desired expert opinion on the suitability as well as nature of reconstruction that should be taken up. The team will study the area and suggest places where rebuilding can be taken up as well as how.
GANGTOK, 20 Oct: Recognising the important role such a department will play in the post-Earthquake rebuilding efforts in the State, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has instructed the as the Mines & Geology Department officials to strengthen and improve the department. With Sikkim sitting in an earthquake prone zone, technical and expert studies, opinions and suggestions on how to go about construction and development projects in the State is vital for future safety and security of structures as well as for the public.
The Chief Minister is informed to have convened a meeting with the Secretary, Mines & Geology, on 18 October and made known his desire to have a stronger and adequately modernized department. This would include better laboratory facilities and also better and more equipment to carry out tests etc.
The Secretary, G Upadhyay, informs that the Department would now work out a detailed project report for submission to the government. Better equipment and infrastructure will help the department come out with better and more detailed reports.
However, more admittedly needs to be done by the government as far as according a better status to the department is concerned. While the departmental experts conduct their surveys and soil testing for almost every construction project, their reports are hardly, if ever, taken seriously.
Their reports are not binding upon the involved parties. A couple of years ago, when the state was visited by a series of landslides, especially in the West district, the government had expressed seriousness about acquiring the expert opinion of the Mines & Geology Department and a high level meeting had also been chaired by the then Chief Secretary, TT Dorji.
Following this, a direction was issued making it mandatory to obtain the report of the department before any construction project.
However, the government stopped short of issuing a Notification and communicated this instruction in a Circular.
Meanwhile, a team from the Mines and Geology Department left for North Sikkim today to conduct their assessment of damages, particularly the cause of such extensive damage in North Sikkim. The team will be visiting Mangan, Chungthang and Dzongu.
Before any rebuilding and reconstruction is taken up in the North district, the government has desired expert opinion on the suitability as well as nature of reconstruction that should be taken up. The team will study the area and suggest places where rebuilding can be taken up as well as how.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Readers are invited to comment on, criticise, run down, even appreciate if they like something in this blog. Comments carrying abusive/ indecorous language and personal attacks, except when against the people working on this blog, will be deleted. It will be exciting for all to enjoy some earnest debates on this blog...