Dehradun admin sets June 7 deadline for priority civic works amid rain woes

Dehradun: The Dehradun district administration has directed departments to complete all priority civil works by June 7, as ongoing infrastructure projects and rain over the past four days continue to cause inconvenience to residents.

District magistrate Ashish Chauhan chaired a meeting on Sunday with officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC), Jal Sansthan and police, stressing the need for better coordination among departments.

The directions come amid complaints that the first spell of rain, coupled with ongoing infrastructure works, has disrupted daily life in several parts of the city. “We carried out inspections in affected areas with officials from various departments. It is alarming that even before the monsoon has fully set in, water has entered homes in areas such as Jakhan and Dobhalwala, damaging household belongings and food rations. In Jakhan, cracks have appeared in the walls of several houses,” said councillor Bhupinder Kathait.

The DM directed departments to deploy adequate manpower and machinery to complete ongoing public-interest projects on roads. He said roads should be handed over to the PWD immediately after completion of utility works so that repair and restoration could begin without delay.

“Any communication gap between departments must not become an impediment to the progress of work. If negligence is detected, strict action will be initiated against the officials concerned,” Chauhan said.

Each department has been asked to set up a dedicated task force, control room and war room for prompt redressal of public grievances. Departments concerned have also been directed to complete channelisation of rivers, canals and monsoon drains before the onset of the monsoon. The National Highways Authority, PMGSY and PWD have been asked to complete road works according to quality standards, ensure roads are pothole-free and carry out regular cleaning of roadside drains and culverts.

The DM also directed the deployment of task forces equipped with water pumps in riverbank settlements and other sensitive areas, including Vikasnagar and Rishikesh