The high powered central team today advocated the need for making ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyaan’ a mass campaign to save the depleting ground water level in the district.The team headed by Joint Secretary Ministry of Law and Justice Mr Rajinder Kumar Kashyap today held detailed deliberations with the officers of district administration led by Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr Kulwant Singh, who was currently officiating at Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar.Chairing the meeting at district administrative complex, the Joint Secretary said that the Abhiyan has been started in 255 water stressed districts of the country. He said that the team was visiting Jalandhar as it was one of the water stressed district of country with 10 out of total 11 blocks being over exploited. Mr Kashyap said that the first phase of this abhiyaan would be from July 1 to September 15.The Joint Secretary said that during the current visit the team led by him would be visiting the various areas during the coming two days to assess the ground level situation. Mr Kashyap said that besides analysing the entire situation focus would also be laid on inspecting the works done by district administration in this regard. He said that new suggestions would also be given by team for water conservation and recharging the ground water level through a concrete action plan.
The Joint Secretary said that later the team would again visit the district in month of August and September. Mr Kashyap said that the team would be intervening on five main coordinators including evaluation of water conservation and rain water harvesting, renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks , Water shed development, Recharging ground water through rain water harvesting and intensive Afforestation. He said that every department of the state government must participate zealously in this campaign and make it a huge success to ensure that our coming generations were able to get fresh water for drinking.On the occasion Additional Deputy Commissioner assured fulsome support and cooperation to the team for accomplishing this noble task. He said that every department of the state government would ensure that this much needed campaign of immense public importance was a huge success in Jalandhar.Other members of team including Director Defence Mr PC Gupta, Director Ministry of Consumer Affairs Mr PK Bhatnagar, Scientists of Water Resources Ministry Mr Ravi Aggarwal and Me PSK Murthy, Sub Divisional Magistrates Mr Rajesh Sharma, Ms Charumita and Ms Shayari Malhotra, Divisional Forest Officer Mr Rajesh Gulati, Divisional Range Forest Officer Mr Davinder Pal Singh, Executive Engineers Water Supply and Sewerage Board Mr Vijay Kumar and Mr SS Dhaliwal, District Development and Panchayat Officer Mr Dharam Pal, Director Krishi Vigyan Kendra Dr Kuldeep Singh, Deputy Director Animal Husbandary Mr Ram Lubhaya, Executive Engineer Drainage Mr Ajit Singh, Soil Conservation Officer Mr Lupinder Singh besides others were also present in the meeting.