Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika visited the Indo-Bangla border in the Katigara constituency of Cachar district on Saturday to inspect the sluice gates. The area has six sluice gates with a total of 40 shutters. Currently, 33 shutters are functioning, while 7 are non-operational due to technical issues related to rising water levels. These sluice gates, built by the Border Road Organization, have been managed by the Water Resources Department since 2022.
Hazarika visited the sluice gates in Balswar and Faiska, where he discussed the situation with local residents and departmental officers. He noted that the 7 non-functional shutters should become operational once water levels decrease.
To ensure proper maintenance, the district administration will form six committees comprising local residents to monitor the sluice gates regularly. These committees will report any issues to the Water Resources Department, which will provide annual funds of 25,000 to 50,000 rupees for maintenance. Hazarika instructed the District Commissioner to establish these committees.
MLA Kaushik Rai, Deepayan Chakravarty, Kamalakshya De Purkayastha, former MLA Amar Chand Jain, and District BJP President Bimalendu Rai were present during the visit.