Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha has reviewed the repair and restoration of 1,658 lift irrigation projects under the Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC), with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stressing the need to expedite work on projects affected by prolonged rainfall and flooding.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Energy, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pujari on Friday held detailed discussions on the restoration measures during a high-level review meeting.
Pujari directed officials to inspect the lift irrigation projects affected or damaged by the recent adverse weather and take necessary steps to speed up their restoration. The projects are important for irrigation, particularly for agricultural activities, and their restoration is being reviewed in the wake of the prolonged adverse weather conditions this year.
The Revenue and Disaster Management Minister also advised the Energy Department, Water Resources Department and the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner to work in close coordination to carry out the restoration activities.
The department said it has been undertaking continuous efforts to repair and restore projects and other works across different departments that have been affected by the prolonged adverse weather conditions this year. Pujari has also been holding regular reviews and discussions with various departments to accelerate restoration-related work.
The review meeting was held at the office of the Revenue Minister in the Odisha Legislative Assembly. Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Bishal Dev, Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department Shubha Sharma, officials from the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner and senior officials from the concerned departments attended the meeting.
