Officers on SIR duty should act responsibly, says Parameshwara
Officers on duty for Election Commission of India’s Systematic Intensive Revision and others concerned should act responsibly and see that not a single eligible voter
Officers on duty for Election Commission of India’s Systematic Intensive Revision and others concerned should act responsibly and see that not a single eligible voter is excluded from the electoral rolls, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said in Belagavi on Wednesday. Parameshwara, who also holds the Revenue, Endowments and Sports portfolios, was speaking at a review meeting of officers of the three departments in the seven districts of Kittur Karnataka at the Suvarna Soudha. He also reviewed monsoon preparedness, drought mitigation, temple maintenance and sports promotion. “The ECI SIR process is already under way in the State and officers should act responsibly. All efforts should be made to see that no eligible voter is left out. It seems that a lot of people need the Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) to help retain their names in the electoral rolls. PRC should be issued by the Tahsildar and the officials at higher levels. PRC should be issued urgently to those who need it. Necessary steps should be taken for this,” he said. “There is a shadow of drought in the entire country. A study says this is the least rainfall monsoon since 1901. India Meteorological Department has predicted that even in July the rainfall quantum may be less. Water in our reservoirs has reached dead storage levels in almost all dams. I have directed officials that the available water in dams should be used with utmost caution.
Drinking water needs should be given priority. The available water should not be used for any purpose other than drinking. Appropriate action should be taken against those who install unauthorized pumpsets in canals and rivers and they should be cleared,” he said. He asked officers to repair dysfunctional rain gauges or install new ones in places where they are required to be put up. “There is a possibility of sudden rain, landslide, flash floods and lightning in some areas due to the Super El Nino effect. Necessary measures should be taken to protect people based on weather forecasts,” he said. “Farmers should be encouraged to grow fodder for livestock in places where there are water sources, including borewells and lake water, and fodder seeds should be distributed. There is a possibility of infectious diseases in livestock due to the increase in temperature. Officers should check whether necessary vaccines are available and are being given to cattle from time to time,” he said. He asked officers to hire private borewells for a fixed sum. “If that does not solve the problem, we could take up hydro fractures of old borewells. Open wells could be deepened. Drilling of borewells should be our last priority. In the meantime, water should be supplied from tankers wherever necessary. Deputy Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat CEOs should ensure this as a immediate but temporary measure.