The Haryana Government has taken action against four officers of the Irrigation Department for dereliction of duty during the floods caused by excessive water levels in the Yamuna River passing through the Haryana region. Action has been taken against these officers after the report of an inquiry committee. This committee was formed to investigate the matter of the non-opening of four gates of the ITO Yamuna barrage during floods. The state government has suspended Sandeep Taneja, Chief Engineer of the irrigation department.
It was further informed that orders have been issued to charge sheet SE, Tarun Aggarwal, and XEN, Manoj Kumar, of the department. Along with this, SDO Mukesh Verma, posted at Yamuna Barrage, has been charged under Rule Seven. Due to heavy rains, a significant surge in Yamuna level was witnessed, and due to the non-opening of four gates of the barrage near ITO in Delhi, excess water could not be cleared in time, causing massive waterlogging and floods.
Taking cognizance of this matter, Chief Minister Manohar Lal formed a three-member committee to investigate the entire matter. The Irrigation Department’s Engineer-in-Chief, Dr. Satbir Kadian, and Chief Engineer, Suresh Kumar Yadav, were included as members in this committee headed by Engineer-in-Chief, Rakesh Chauhan.
In the furnished report, the committee observed that these gates were submerged in flood water about 12 feet deep. Apart from that, they were also filled with silt. These gates can be opened only when both upstream and downstream silt around them is removed through special techniques. It has been stated in the report that no power connection was available to carry out the process. Floods in Delhi mainly occurred due to excessive encroachment, due to which the water reached up to the Ring Road.
