NEW DELHI: The Centre plans to introduce the Dam Safety Bill 2018 in the winter session of Parliament starting December 11, notwithstanding Tamil Nadu and Kerala’s opposition on fears that the states might lose control over their dams.
The Bill mooted by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation was approved by the Cabinet in June 2018. It aims to provide legal and institutional framework for safety of dams and seeks to prevent disasters through proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all dams in the country.
A senior ministry official sought to downplay the opposition of some states, saying, “We have not taken away any powers from states. There are existing bodies at different level but they don’t have any statutory or legal shape. We want everybody responsible for what they are doing and if there is a breach, we won’t say that it is a state issue.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami recently wrote to PM Narendra Modi saying it would interfere with the rights of states.
The Bill mandates every state to set up a State Dam Safety Organisation, manned by officers from the field of dam safety.