The Punjab government has made a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the drainage department mandatory for construction projects within a radius of 150m from any drain, river or choes.Punjab water resources minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Wednesday said during the recent floods in the state, the flow of floodwater was obstructed at many places in the choes, drains, and rivers, due to which the public property and private infrastructure were damaged.
The decision has been taken to minimise the damage caused by flood, he said.The cabinet minister added that to make the process more smooth, the competent authorities should issue NOCs according to the project area.
“Directions have been issued to simplify the NOC issuing process. The authority to approve NOCs for projects with area up to two acres is vested in executive engineer (XEN), for 2-25 acre areas in the chief engineer, and the state government will have the right to approve projects spread over 25 acres,” he said.
