Himachal to create disaster management authority

The Himachal Pradesh Government was contemplating a Drought Policy to meet the drought challenges, revise Relief Manual to fit into prevailing circumstances and create a separate Disaster Management Authority to manage the disastrous situations in the State. This was revealed by Shri Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, while addressing the top revenue officers of the state in the Review Meeting of the Revenue Department here last evening.

Chief Minister said that Revenue was the basic department connected with the common man welfare and allied activities which would be strengthened to meet the emerging challenges in the prevailing circumstances. He said that need had emerged to adopt suitable Drought Policy to provide suitable relief to the affected people due to drought conditions. He said that the Relief Manual of the State in application was also being revised to rise to the present conditions so that the affected parties were compensated reasonably. He added that it was the need of the hour to create a separate Authority to deal with the disastrous conditions which could undertake the relief and rehabilitation activities in emergent conditions. He said that dimensions of the authority would be chalked out by the senior officers in consultation with the experts in the field for implementation in the State. He said that the State fall in the seismic zone and was prone to earthquake like disasters for which necessary preparations were required to be made. He said that the authority so created would be responsible to undertake all such emergent services to the people besides creating awareness amongst them about the precautions to be taken in any unforeseen circumstances. He said that people of the state were being advised to construct only earthquake resistant houses so that life and property of the people were saved.

Shri Virbhadra Singh emphasized the need for preparation of a master plan for the systematic settlement of the entire state carried in a time bound manner considering kanungo circle as one unit. He said that the process required to be expedited and carried speedily to the satisfaction of the landholders. He said that the other circle required to be taken up only after completion of the process in first circle. He said that settlement authorities should be impartial and carry the process based upon the factual record and amicable solution found to the local problems. He said that the officers carrying the settlement would be required to sign the final settlement papers for its authenticity. He said that utilization of modern technology in speeding up of the process would be an advantage. He said that target of the settlement was required of settlement needed to be on area basis and not on khasra number basis so that maximum area was covered in minimum of time period.

Chief Minister said that the unauthorized colonies, change in land use, deviation in the approved plans, encroachments on government land was being viewed seriously by the government and the local revenue authorities required to take immediate effective step to remove the same. He said that revenue department was related to the poorest of the poor and best services were required to be delivered to them without any loss of time. He said that cases of demarcation, mutation, partition, consolidation etc. required to be accorded top priority and people delivered prompt services. He said that officials not adhering to such requirements of the people would be held responsible for delay in delivering justice to the people. He emphasized the need of revenue officers monitoring the revenue cases at all level besides carrying frequent touring of the area to understand problems of the people.

Shri Virbhadra Singh said that the Revenue Training Institute at Jogindernagar would be developed as a model-training institute by removing all deficiencies, where best of the infrastructure was being created. He said that services of the expert in revenue would be requisitioned to train the revenue staff besides teaching them modern modes of communications. He also directed the authorities to process the applications of eligible persons for allotment of two biswas of land for house building in rural and one biswa in urban areas on priority. He said that benefits due to the people must be delivered promptly and cooperative attitude adopted to the common man problems.

Chief Minister said that the state government would be distributing the Kisan Pass Books free to the land holders wherein complete detail of their land holdings would be depicted. He said that the pass book holders were required to be advised to get the same updated from time to time to maintain latest revenue record. He said that computerization process of the entire revenue department was in progress and efforts were afoot to complete the same at the earliest right down to the lowest level. He said that with the computerization people would be able to retrieve any required information without loss of any time. He assured the departmental authorities of sanctioning the functional posts to strengthen the department.

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