Odisha Reviews 207 Mega Rural Drinking Water Projects; Minister Warns of Blacklisting for Delays

Bhubaneswar: A three-day state-level review of mega rural piped drinking water supply projects concluded on Thursday at the MGNREGA Conference Hall of the State Institute for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PR) here, with the State government issuing a strong warning against delays in project execution.

Chairing the review meeting from December 10 to 12, Minister for Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Rural Development Rabi Narayan Naik took a serious view of slow progress in several projects and directed all implementing agencies to adhere strictly to stipulated timelines. The Minister warned that agencies failing to complete projects on time would face blacklisting and registration of FIRs, underscoring that accountability in execution is non-negotiable given the critical importance of clean drinking water for rural households.

On the first day, the Minister reviewed 68 major rural piped drinking water projects under 12 RWS&S divisions of the Central Revenue Division, including Athagarh, Balasore, Baripada, Bhadrak, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Nayagarh, Puri and Rairangpur. While eight projects have been completed and commissioned, detailed reviews were conducted for the remaining 60 ongoing projects.

The second day focused on 77 major projects under 14 RWS&S divisions of the Northern Revenue Division—Anandpur, Angul, Balangir, Bargarh, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Nuapada, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Sonepur and Sundergarh. Of these, 14 projects are completed and operational, while timelines were fixed for the completion of 63 ongoing projects.

On the final day, 62 major projects under nine RWS&S divisions of the Southern Revenue Division—Gajapati, Berhampur, Bhanjanagar, Kalahandi, Phulbani, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada—were reviewed. Three projects in this division have been completed, and 59 are currently under construction.

In total, 207 completed and ongoing projects across the State were reviewed over the three days. Implementing agencies and departmental officers made detailed presentations on technical, financial and operational aspects. The Minister personally examined the responsibility matrix of each project, sought explanations for delays and directed focused corrective measures to expedite execution.

Emphasising the need for timely service delivery, Naik instructed all divisions to ensure prompt completion and submission of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certification. He reiterated the commitment of both the Central and State governments to provide safe and clean drinking water to every rural household, noting that under the people-centric leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, drinking water supply remains a core priority of Odisha’s rural development agenda.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary S.N. Girish briefed the Minister on the status of each project. The meeting was attended by Director (Drinking Water) Vinit Bhardwaj, Engineer-in-Chief (RWSS) Ratnakar Sial, Superintending and Executive Engineers of various RWS&S divisions, senior departmental officials and representatives of construction agencies.