Port Blair, June 5: The Lt. Governor, Lt Gen (Retd) A K Singh today visited Bambooflat Dam to assess the present status of the dam and the current water shortage being faced by the people of Bambooflat area. The local residents and the PRI members present at the dam site informed the Lt. Governor that this is for the first time the dam has dried up. The Lt. Governor directed the Chief Engineer APWD to take expeditious steps to mitigate the current water shortage. The Lt. Governor said that the present schedule for distribution of water on every third day should be maintained without fail. He also asked the CE to increase the number of water tankers so that water supply can be further improved and people do not face any hardship on this count. The Adhyaksha Zila Parishad, South Andaman Ms VK Mariam Bibi, Principal Secretary, Smt. Rina Ray, the Chief Engineer APWD, Shri PK Singh and other senior officials of the Administration accompanied the Lt. Governor during the visit.
Enquiring about the present status of the Bambooflat Dam, the Lt. Governor directed the APWD for increasing the catchment area and de-silting to increase the water storage capacity.
The Lt. Governor also enquired about the status of the Kamsarat Nallah Dam. He said that Administration is trying its best to complete this project in a time bound manner and assured the residents that the water shortage will be resolved to a great extent once this project is complete. The Lt. Governor urged the residents to use water judiciously in this time of crisis and also adopt water harvesting methods till the situation improves.
Responding to the demand of the residents for providing the services of Gynecologist and specialist doctors at Bambooflat CHC, the Lt. Governor said that he will look into the matter, based on availability.
Thereafter, the Lt. Governor visited the Bambooflat market area and interacted with the general public there. The Lt. Governor also visited the Common Service Center (CSC). On the complaint that many of the services have not been provided at this CSC, the Lt. Governor directed the senior officials from the IT and Civil Supplies Departments to visit this CSC tomorrow itself and sort out the problem immediately.
Observing that garbage had been thrown on the roads, the Lt. Governor asked the Pradhan to make arrangements to keep the area clean and take punitive action against littering. He also issued instructions for the DC to create more parking spaces near the market.
The Lt. Governor also directed the APWD to ensure proper drainage in the market to avoid flooding during rains.
The Lt Governor also advised the PRIs and people to adopt self help and social service as a way of life, rather than depend on the Administration alone.
Later, on returning to Raj Niwas he asked the DC to explore the feasibility of creating a jogging park for the residents of Bambooflat.
