Water rationing in Bokaro Steel City to be withdrawn from Dec 30

Shanky T

Bokaro ( Jharkhand) : There is good news for the residents of Bokaro Steel City  where water rationing is continuing since the first week of November. As of now, the are getting  water only once in two days for one hour.  But, from December 30, they will be supplied water daily as the water level of the cooling pond where water is collected has now reached satisfactory level. Bokaro steel plant CEO Anutosh Maitra gave this information after a tripartite meeting  held at deputy commissioner’s office on December 28.

On the direction of union steel ministry secretary Aruna Sharma, a tripartite meeting of  Tenughat canal coordination committee was held at Bokaro deputy commissioner’s office to resolve water problems due to  repeated breaches in Tenughat canal since November 3, 2016,  due to which water rationing was declared in Bokaro steel township.

The  first coordination committee  meeting was attended by Bokaro deputy commissioner R M Ray, Chas SDO Shashi Ranjan, Bermo SDO Kuldip Chowdhry, Bokaro steel plant chief executive officer Anutosh Maitra and his officials  besides water resources department chief engineer  R Rajak and others in which it was decided to have round the clock surveillance of the canal and urgent plugging of leakages besides carrying long term  plan to maintain the canal  so that smooth flow of water  is sustained round the clock.

Water rationing in the city and even in the steel plant was ordered after first breach  was observed in the canal  on November 3 and later several attempts to repair the breaches failed forcing  union steel ministry to send Steel authority of India Limited (Sail) chairman P K Sinha to Bokaro. He also met Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das on this issue and later submitted his report to  the union ministry. The breaches were finally plugged  in fourth week of  November.

After getting the report , union steel secretary Aruna Sharma  last week ordered for formation of coordination committee  in which members of Bokaro steel plant, district administration and water resources department (which is assigned the job of maintaining the canal)  were included and were directed to convene meeting from time to time till the problem in the canal is solved.

Bokaro DC R M Ray informed that the water rationing in the city  is being withdrawn from December  30. The meeting decided to work jointly  in case of breach of canal in future and mend the fault on war footing. “We have chalked out strategies for removing any fault witnessed in Tenughat canal on war footing,” he said.