Jowai, August 9: The Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills (EJH) District, Khliehriat, informs the general public that the Supreme Court of India has issued modified guidelines to prevent fatal accidents of small children due to falling in abandoned bore wells and tube wells.
According to the guidelines, the owner of the land or premises, before taking any steps to construct bore well or tube well would inform in writing at least 15 days in advance to the authorities concerned in the area that is District Collector or District Magistrate or Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat or any other Statutory Authority or officers concerned of the Department of Ground Water, Public Health, the Municipal Corporation, as the case might be, about the construction of a bore well or tube well.
The district/block/village wise status of bore wells, tube wells drilled viz. number of wells in use, number of abandoned bore wells/tube wells found open, number of abandoned bore wells, tube wells properly filled up to ground level and balance number of abandoned bore wells, tube wells to be filled up to ground level is to be maintained at district Level. In rural areas, the monitoring of the above is to be done through village sarpanch and the executive from the Agriculture Department. In case of urban areas, the monitoring of the above is to be done through Junior Engineer and the Executive from the concerned Department of Ground Water, Public Health, Municipal Corporation etc.
If a borewell, tube well is ‘abandoned’ at any stage, a certificate from the concerned department of Ground Water/Public Health, Municipal Corporation, private contractor etc. must be obtained by the aforesaid agencies that the ‘abandoned’ bore well, tube well is properly filled up to the ground level.