Pune: To prevent future floods, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has mandated criminal charges against those dumping debris in rivers, obstructing the flow. This directive was issued during a review meeting on the flood situations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.

Shinde said that while working on the river rejuvenation project, care should be taken not to obstruct the water flow in the river. Technical aspects should be considered when building boundary walls where necessary.

Effective schemes such as desilting dams and sediment management in agricultural lands should be implemented to increase the carrying capacity of rivers.

He also mentioned that meetings with insurance companies should be held to provide compensation to vehicle owners for the damage caused by floods.

An early warning system should be operationalized to give timely alerts in flood-prone areas. A proposal should be submitted immediately to establish automated weather stations in each village to measure rainfall and water flow.

Chief Minister Shinde also assured that there would be no shortage of funds for all these works.

Orders given by the Chief Minister:

• Undertake the work of deepening and widening rivers to avoid loss of life and property during flood situations.

• Immediate measures should be taken to remove deposits, construction debris, and demolition waste from the rivers.

• The Pune Municipal Corporation, Water Resources Department, PMRDA, and District Administration should jointly run a campaign for this.

CM Shinde visited Pune on August 5 to offer relief to citizens impacted by recent floods in the Ekta Nagari and Vitthal Nagar areas along Sinhagad Road.

The Chief Minister's visit included stops in flood-affected areas such as Sangvi in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Patil Estate in Shivajinagar before heading towards Sinhagad Road.