New Delhi, Dec 12 : The government Wednesday introduced the Dam Safety Bill in the Lok Sabha, a legislation which will help states and Union Territories adopt uniform procedures to ensure safety of reservoirs.
The bill also provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams to prevent dam failure-related disasters.
The bill provides for establishment of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country.
The legislation also provides for constitution of a State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) by the state government that will ensure proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in that state and ensure their safe functioning.
According to the bill, every state shall establish a “State Dam Safety Organisation”, which will be manned by officers from the field dam safety preferably from the areas of dam-designs, hydro-mechanical engineering, hydrology, geo-technical investigation, instrumentation and dam-rehabilitation.
The NDSA shall maintain liaison with the SDSO and the owners of dams for standardisation of dam safety related data and practices, provide technical and managerial assistance to the states.
It shall maintain a national-level data-base of all dams in the country and the records of major dam failures, examine the cause of any major dam failure, publish and update the standard guidelines and check-lists for the routine inspection and detailed investigations of dams and appurtenances.
The NDSA will also look into unresolved points of issue between the SDSO of two states.
The bill was introduced amid protests by opposition parties, including the Congress, TDP and the AIADMK on various issues.
Opposing the introduction of the bill, BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab said the bill does not come under the purview of the Lok Sabha and Parliament.
“The subject comes under the purview of the state government,” he said.
Introducing the bill on behalf of Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the central government has the legislative competency to introduce the bill.
He said if two states agree, then the Centre has the legislative competency to introduce the bill.
There are over 5,200 large dams in India and about 450 are under construction. In addition, there are thousands of medium and small dams.
Due to the lack of legal and institutional safeguards, dam safety is an issue of concern in the country.
