Bhubaneswar: Principal Secretary to the government Anu Garg on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review preparations for the upcoming Rath Yatra. She instructed officials to maintain close coordination and ensure that all works related to the festival are completed within the scheduled timelines so that Rath Yatra operations proceed smoothly and without error.
During the meeting, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration informed that the Basanta Panchami rituals for consecrating the chariot wood will be held as scheduled, the cutting and shaping of the chariot wood will begin on Shri Ram Navami, the construction of the chariots will formally commence on Akshaya Tritiya, and the Snana Yatra will be observed on June 29.
At the same meeting, Garg reviewed the progress of rural drinking water supply projects that are operational as well as those still being built across the State.
Under the Single Village Piped Water Supply Programme, 18,233 schemes are already functioning, while 872 more are presently under execution, according to reports. Within the solar-powered tubewell-linked system, work has been completed on 6,435 schemes, and 2,189 remain in progress. Of the 207 mega projects sanctioned under Jal Jeevan Mission, Basudha, the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, OMBADC, DMF, and SFC, 26 have been finished, and 181 are at various stages of construction.
At the meeting, officials examined the progress of 134 schemes that have crossed the halfway mark. Progress was also assessed on 15 mega projects in Rayagada district, 11 in Mayurbhanj, and 10 in Sundargarh – the three districts with the highest number of ongoing works.
In addition, the status of mega piped water supply projects under execution in all remaining districts was reviewed, and instructions, along with guidance, were issued for timely completion. Departments were also advised to finish the schemes within the targets already set.
