Patiala, December 10 – Additional District Magistrate Patiala Anuprita Johal, using powers conferred under Section 144 of the Criminal Code, Code of Conduct, 1973, for digging unpaved wells and borewells/ tubewells in urban and rural areas, causing people and children to fall into them. In order to avoid immediate financial loss and keeping the safety of the common people as the priority, the guidelines have been issued following the guidelines issued by the Punjab Government under the orders of the Supreme Court. According to the orders, before digging/repairing borewells/tubewells in rural and urban areas within the limits of District Patiala, the land owner must inform the District Collector, concerned Sarpanch Gram Panchayat, Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council, Public Health Department or Land Defense Department 15 days in advance. shall and registration of all Government/Semi Government/Private agencies digging or repairing wells/borewells shall be mandatory. These orders will continue till February 5, 2024 and legal action will be taken against the person/drilling agency owner who violates the order.
According to the prohibitory orders, a signboard with the full address of the drilling agency and the owner of the well/borewell should be installed at the site of digging or repair of the well/borewell and the registration number of the drilling agency should also be written on that signboard. It will be necessary to cover the borewell with a galvanized wire and cover it with a steel plate cover with nut bolts, a cement/concrete platform around the well/borewell, which is 0.30 m above and 0.30 m below the ground level of the well. Must be built around. Further, after digging or repairing the well/borewell, the empty space should be leveled by putting soil around it, the empty borewell/well should be filled up to the top with soil/sand and after completion of the work, the ground level should be leveled. The same should be done as before and the well/borewell should not be left open under any circumstances and the defunct well should be properly filled from bottom to top with smooth soil, stone, concrete etc.
The Additional District Magistrate said that no person shall dig or repair a well/borewell without the written approval and supervision of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department.