A consultative meeting with borewell rig owners and the line departments was organised here at the Collectorate on Wednesday. The meeting sought to orient stakeholders on the Tamil Nadu Panchayats(Regulation of Sinking of Wells, and Safety measures) Rules, 2015.
Addressing the borewell rig owners, Collector S. Malarvizhi outlined the process to be followed for the sinking of borewells. An application for sinking borewells shall be made 15 days prior to the concerned authorities. Borewell rigs engaged for sinking of borewells shall be registered and licensed rigs used for commencement of works.
Ms. Malarvizhi directed the borewell rig owners to also ensure that the owner of the plot seals the borewell, if found unviable. The abandoned/unused borewells shall be sealed with sand, gravel, or clay or such other appropriate material.
The owner of the plot, where the borewell is being sunk, depth, diameter, contact number, and address shall be displayed prominently to capture the attention of the public. The area of work shall be fortified with barbed wire and the borewell should be covered, when workers take a break.
The rig owners were asked to ensure that pipes were fitted properly. In the event of violation of even one of the caveats in the permission order, the entire permit for the drill will be cancelled, the rig owners were warned.
