The bill to set up a national committee for monitoring, inspection, operation, maintenance and dam protection of all dams across the country was passed in the state assembly today.
The Dam Protection Bill, 2019 was passed after Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat responded. This was earlier passed in the Lok Sabha.
Opposition parties have stated they will not run in the by-elections. Responding to the debate, the Minister said that the Bill contained the recommendations of the Standing Committee to allay the fears of the Opposition.
Key provisions in the Dam Safety Bill:
The bill provides for legislation by the National Committee for Dam Safety to prevent catastrophes related to dam breakage and to maintain dam safety standards.
The National Committee for Dam Safety formulates dam safety policies and recommends regulations for it.
Establishment of the National Dam Safety Commission as a regulatory body for the implementation of the Dam Safety Bill, the policy, guidelines and standards for dams for proper monitoring, inspection and maintenance of specific dams, and for resolving issues between the State Dam Safety Committees of the two States and resolving issues between the State Dam Safety Agency and the State Government. The law will formulate dam safety policies and recommend regulations as needed.
It also fulfills the role of the State Dam Protection Agency in identifying and eliminating potential causes of inter-state conflicts.
Each owner of a particular dam must establish the operation and maintenance set up to ensure the continued safety of such dams and carry out risk assessment inspections at intervals specified by the National Committee for Dam Safety.
The concerned State Dam Protection Agency shall make permanent monitoring, inspections and monitoring of the operation and maintenance of specific dams within its jurisdiction and classify each dam according to its vulnerability to ensure their safety.
Thus the key features are included in it.
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