Water minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur inspects Kanke Dam

RANCHI: State drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur inspected Kanke Dam on Wednesday and asked his department officials to remove the ‘illegal’ fisheries cage in the dam by getting in touch with the department concerned. He also directed the officials to construct boundaries around dam to keep the encroachers at bay.
Ever since Thakur took charge of the ministry, he has been visiting dams in the city to check for any irregularities. Before visiting Kanke, he had inspected Hatia Dam and Getalsud (Rukka) Dam earlier.
Speaking to media persons after the inspection, Thakur said, “Though my visit to Kanke Dam was scheduled to take place much earlier, it got delayed due to the coronavirus threat. I am happy to see that most of the encroachers have been removed from the area. Only 20% of the encroachers are left now and they will be removed shortly.” He added, “The fisheries’ cage in the dam’s catchment area is illegal and I have directed the officials to talk to the department concerned and get it removed.”
The minister also pitched for renovation of the fountain at the filtration plant in Kanke and said that the dam can make for a day-long excursion for schoolchildren.
Thakur also expressed concerns over the absence of the department’s secretary during his visits. He said, “The secretary should be present during the visits as she has more information on technical terms than the officials. I will talk to her regarding this.”