Posted on March 31, 2026
Dehradun, 27 Mar: Dehradun district administration has stepped up its preparedness on disaster management, with a series of key decisions taken to strengthen mitigation measures in vulnerable areas. At a meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority chaired by District Magistrate Savin Bansal at Rishiparna Auditorium today, several proposals related to protective works in sensitive zones were granted conditional approval under the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
In a significant development, the administration also accorded green signal to river channelisation and dredging works and has directed all the executive agencies to complete disaster mitigation projects in a time-bound manner in the larger public interest. Emphasising that such works are corrective in nature and crucial from the perspective of public safety, DM Bansal stated that they must be prioritised and executed without delay to minimise risks during the forthcoming monsoon season.
During the meeting, the proposals received from the tehsil-level authorities and various departments concerning river channelisation and dredging were also approved by the committee. The departments have been instructed to ensure timely completion of all works linked to public safety, and to submit any additional proposals or suggestions at the earliest. The administration has also decided that meetings of the committee will be held at regular intervals to review progress and take further decisions as required.
Additional District Magistrate (Finance & Revenue) KK Mishra stated that proposals had earlier been invited from various departments for disaster-affected and disaster-prone areas, covering works such as river channelisation, river dredging and landslide treatment in reserved forest regions. He noted that approvals have been granted within the month of March itself so that departments have adequate time to execute the works. He further directed that any pending proposals must be submitted immediately so that, after field inspection, they can be placed before the committee for approval.
Among the major decisions taken at the meeting, conditional approval was granted for river channelisation along the Yamuna riverbank in the Haripur Kalsi area for the construction of a ghat to ensure the safety of devotees. In the Sahiya region, structural landslide mitigation work has been approved at the chronic landslide zone at Jajred along the Kalsi-Chakrata motor road. Additionally, channelisation works at 28 sensitive riverbank locations across the district have been considered essential in view of potential damage during the monsoon and have been approved accordingly.
The committee also deliberated on several other critical proposals, including construction of abutment scuppers on the bridge over the Yamuna river at kilometre 13-14 on National Highway 507, along with river flow channelisation, curtain walls on both banks and other protective measures. Landslide treatment works at kilometre 24 Bosana and kilometre 26 Vyas, river dressing along the Chandrabhaga river on the Bhaniyawala-Rishikesh road, and removal of accumulated debris upstream of Jakhan bridge were also taken up for consideration.
For these projects, a joint committee comprising the SDM, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Executive Engineer and other departmental officials has been constituted. The committee has been directed to conduct site inspections and submit detailed reports, based on which further approvals will be granted.
Among those who were present at the meeting were Zila Panchayat Chairperson and Co-Chairperson of the committee Sukhvinder Singh Kaur, ADM KK Mishra, DFO Neeraj Kumar, Superintending Engineer of the PWD OP Singh, National Highways Executive Engineer Suresh Tomar, Circle Officer Vivek Kotiyal and District Disaster Management Officer Rishabh Kumar, among others, while SDMs and other officials from various departments, with some joining the meeting on virtual mode.
