District Collector Ranjeet Singh chaired a meeting here on Tuesday with the senior officials of all government departments to review the preparations being made ahead of the northeast monsoon which is likely to be heavy due to El-Nino.Addressing the meeting, Mr. Ranjeet Singh said the Public Works Department, with the help of tahsildar concerned, should impartially remove all encroachments made along the watercourses, channels, and on the waterbodies. The people living close to the low-lying areas should be alerted ahead of start of the monsoon and given information about the nearest relief camps.The places identified for creating relief camps such as schools, community halls, and private marriage halls in elevated areas should be inspected by the officials, who should ensure the availability of food, electricity, drinking water, medical assistance and so on in these places.The Forest Department should keep ready sufficient number of casuarina poles and identify experts in rescuing snakes that could slither into residential areas during rain.Fire and Rescue Services personnel should keep ready life jackets in adequate number, inflatable boats, swimmers, and other rescue equipment. The local bodies – right from the village panchayats to the municipalities – should dredge all drains in their jurisdiction before the start of the northeast monsoon. The local bodies should ensure the sufficient protected drinking water supply to residents after due chlorination.Localised real-time weather forecast should be shared with the residents instantly, the Collector said.Mr. Ranjeet Singh instructed the officials of Public Health Department to stock up medicines in sufficient quantity in all hospitals – right from the primary health centres to the government hospitals where generators should be kept functional with sufficient fuel stock. Oxygen cylinders and life-saving fluids should be stocked, he said. Published - September 08, 2026 09:00 pm IST