Chief Secretary, Prabodh Saxena here today presided over a meeting with the team, which has been constituted to review the preliminary assessment of damage caused by heavy rains in Shimla recently. As per the preliminary assessment, the reasons behind immense damage during the incessant rains in the state capital were due to disposal of debris along the fragile slopes, unplanned drainage system and unscientific excavation of hills.
The Chief Secretary said that Shimla received excess rainfall of 552.1 mm so far in August this year as compared to 514.30 mm in the year 2022, in the same month. He said that to reduce the risks related to disasters, special attention should be paid to well-planned construction with proper drainage system as unplanned buildings and diversion of waterways due to choked drains did the maximum damage. He said that emphasis should be laid on proper drainage system and safely disposing of the muck excavated during the construction.
He said that there should be a thorough assessment of disaster sensitive areas of the state and emphasis should also be laid on adopting and strictly implementing the Model Building Rules in all urban and rural areas. Various measures related to safe construction of buildings in rural areas, regulating construction near rivulets, nullahas and on the slopes with steep gradient were also discussed in detail. Principal Secretaries, Onkar Chand Sharma and Devesh Kumar, Director cum Special Secretary Revenue, DC Rana and other senior officers attended the meeting.
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