CM Sai voices strong displeasure over Lutti dam breach: ‘Such mistakes will never be tolerated again’

Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday expressed deep displeasure over the breach of the Lutti dam in Balrampur–Ramanujganj district. Issuing a stern warning, he said such a mistake will not be tolerated under any circumstances in the future. Sai pointed out that field-level officers and staff were failing to conduct regular site inspections, which had led to the incident. He directed all officials and employees to continuously visit the field and ensure regular inspection of dams and other related structures.

Chief Minister Shri Sai chaired a detailed review meeting of the Water Resources Department at Mahanadi Bhavan today. He instructed officials to give special attention to the maintenance and repair of irrigation projects, assess the water storage capacity of all dams, review the current irrigation status, and monitor the progress of upcoming projects. CM Shri Sai also stressed strict compliance with the provisions of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 and called for effective coordination with district administrations.

During the meeting, CM Sai directed the department to prepare a concrete action plan to bridge the gap between target irrigation capacity and actual irrigation capacity. He further emphasized the need to complete pending projects in Bastar and Surguja divisions at the earliest and ensure timely completion of large-scale ongoing schemes so that farmers can receive benefits without delay.

Officials informed the meeting that at present, 4 major projects, 357 minor projects, and 300 anicuts — a total of 661 works — are under progress. In addition, 1,036 renovation works are also underway. In all, 1,697 works are currently in progress, involving an expenditure of nearly ₹8,966 crore.

Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rahul Bhagat, Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister Ravi Mittal, Water Resources Department Secretary Rajesh Sukumar Toppo, Chief Engineer Indrajeet Uike, and the Chief Engineers of Bastar, Surguja, Bilaspur, Raipur and Durg divisions, along with other senior officials of the department were present in the meeting.