Punjab Minister for Medical Education & Research Freedom Fighters, Food processing O.P. Soni, Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) Mr Rajinder Beri, Mr Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, Deputy Commissioner Mr Varinder Kumar Sharma, Commissioner of Police Mr Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mr Navjot Singh Mahal on Tuesday released the report of Soil and Water Conservation department regarding the works carried out in the last 50 years in the state.During a meeting of District Grievances Committee here today at the conference room of District Administrative Complex, the cabinet minister Mr OP Soni said that the department of Soil and Water Conservation, Punjab which was earlier a wing of Department of Agriculture was established as a separate department on Dec 15, 1969.He said that the focus of Golden Jubilee celebrations was aimed to enhance the capacity of the department's workforce, facilitating team building and camaraderie and raising natural resource conservation awareness among the people.Mr Soni told that the department has been playing a major role in conservation and management of soil and water resources of the state through several activities such as micro-irrigation, underground pipelines, treated water use, watershed-based programmes etc.
The cabinet minister also said that the five core areas including evaluation of water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks, Watershed development, drip irrigation, underground pipeline system, recharging groundwater through rainwater harvesting and intensive forestation have already been identified by the department and work is already on massive level in these areas.He added that Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is already making concerted efforts to save the groundwater depleting further either by plantation of saplings, increasing green cover, promoting maize and other crops, which use less water, or installing rainwater harvesting systems in the state.On the occasion, Jalandhar Mayor Mr Jagdish Raj Raja, Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr Jasbir Singh, Sub Divisional Magistrates Mr Rahul Sindhu, Mr Amit Kumar Panchal, Mr Sanjeev Sharma, Mr Jai Inder Singh, Mr Vineet Kumar, Assistant Commissioners Ms Shayari Malhotra, Mr Hardip Singh Dhaliwal, RTA Secretary Dr Nayan, DPO Mr Amarjeet Singh Bhullar, DDPO Mr Iqbaljit Singh, Civil Surgeon Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla, Sub Divisional Soil Conservation Officer, Jalandhar Mr Lupinder Kumar and others were present.