Shillong, Sept 16: The state Cabinet on Tuesday cleared the proposal for setting up a Dam Safety Organisation to independently monitor dams in the state, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said.
Sangma said the decision is in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure laid down by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, which mandates states to have a dedicated mechanism for dam safety.
The Chief Minister said Meghalaya has 12 to 13 dams, with most operated by MeECL and one by the PHE Department, and safety audits were so far being done by the same operating agencies.
He said the Centre had pointed out that this amounts to a conflict of interest.
“The people operating the dam were also checking dam safety, which the Government of India felt was not correct,” Sangma said.
He added that the new organisation will have independent officers to ensure strict adherence to the SOPs for regular checks and maintenance of dam safety.
