Una, April 9 - Additional Deputy Commissioner Mahendra Pal Gurjar has stressed on ensuring effective implementation of 'Call Before You Dig' app to ensure safety of underground structures in the district and to avoid any kind of damage during excavation works. On Wednesday, he was presiding over a meeting called in the NIC room to discuss the implementation of Call Before You Dig app for safe excavation. It included many other departments including Public Works Department, Jal Shakti Department, Electricity Department, Forest Department, National Highway, Municipal Corporation Una, Revenue Department, Panchayati Raj Department.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner said that during various construction and development works in the district, digging done without prior information many times damages underground telephone lines, power cables, water supply pipelines etc., which not only causes financial loss to the departments, but also causes great inconvenience to the common citizens. To avoid this situation, the 'Call Before You Dig' app is a very useful medium, which should be adopted by all the concerned departments. During the meeting, Chandrabhan Yadav, Director, Himachal Pradesh Rural License Service Area, gave a detailed presentation on the functioning of the app. He informed that this app is an innovative initiative of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 March 2023. The app aims to establish coordination between the digging agencies and the owners of underground property, so that possible damage can be avoided by obtaining necessary permission and information before digging. The Additional Deputy Commissioner directed all the departments to include the use of the app in their functioning and ensure that no digging is done in future without prior permission and coordination. He said that this step will not only ensure structural safety but will also increase the accountability and efficiency of governance. It is worth mentioning that the 'Call Before You Dig' service is available in both mobile app and online portal forms. On request through this platform before digging, concerned agencies share information about underground structures to ensure safe digging.