OMBADC sanctions projects worth Rs 2,800 crore in 9 districts

The Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) today approved eight new projects with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,800 crore in nine mineral bearing districts of the state, officials said.

The projects will be implemented in nine mineral bearing districts - Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and Sundargarh, they said.

The projects were sanctioned at a meeting of the board of directors of OMBADC under the chairmanship of chief secretary A P Padhi.

OMBADC chief executive officer, Uma Nanduri presented financial, administrative and technical aspects for consideration.

While reviewing the progress of projects sanctioned earlier, Padhi directed the district collectors to complete the housing projects before August 15.

Padhi also directed the State Pollution Control Board to have regular measurement and monitoring of the water and air pollution level in mining areas.

The newly sanctioned projects in the meeting included skill development training to ST, SC, OBC & youths of minority community, horticulture activities, mega lift irrigation and strengthening Adarsha vidyalayas in all nine districts covered under OMBADC.

Apart from these, 12 number of mega lift irrigation projects for Keonjhar district, check dam with lift irrigation projects in 5 districts, construction of ROBs at Jharsuguda, Keonjhar and Sundargarh district, construction of critical road and bridges to establish the missing link of connectivity in mining hit areas were also sanctioned in the meeting.

Presently, projects of around Rs 3,517 crore are in different stages of implementation in these districts, Nanaduri said, adding that with todays approval the total cost of the project sanctioned for these districts comes to around Rs 6,317 crore.