Odisha Reviews Restoration of 1,658 Lift Irrigation Projects Hit by Rain, Floods

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has begun reviewing the repair and restoration of 1,658 lift irrigation projects under the Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC) that have been affected by prolonged rainfall and flood conditions this year.

A high-level meeting was held at the office of the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister at the Odisha Legislative Assembly to review the status of the projects and discuss measures to expedite restoration.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Energy, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari held detailed discussions on the repair and restoration work.

Pujari stressed the need to inspect lift irrigation projects that were damaged by incessant rainfall and flooding and identify the repairs required for their early restoration.

He also called for coordinated action involving the Energy Department, Water Resources Department and the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner to ensure that restoration work is taken up without delay.

The review comes amid prolonged adverse weather conditions that have affected infrastructure and public assets across departments. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department has been undertaking repair and restoration of works damaged by the weather and has been holding regular reviews with concerned departments to expedite the process.

The meeting was attended by Energy Department Additional Chief Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev, Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Shubha Sharma, and senior officials from the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner and other concerned departments.