Rs 3620 cr rural drinking water plan, road project approved in

Ahead of the elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly, Odisha government Tuesday approved expenditure of about Rs 3,620 crore for development of drinking water facility in rural areas and a road project.

The approvals were made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief minister Naveen Patnaik here.

The drinking water projects would benefit 18.15 lakh people spread over six districts -- Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Angul, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Khurda, Chief Secretary A P Padhi said.

He said the projects would be completed within 24 months and tenders have already been given to different firms on the basis of bidding.

While Rs 754 crore will be spent on rural piped water supply project funded by Nabard in Bhardak district, Rs 979.82 crore to be spent from District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and Odisha Mineral Bearing Area Development Corporation (OMBADC) for drinking water project in Keonjhar district.

Similarly, Rs 701 crore will be spent to supply piped water to 388 villages in Angul district. The funds required for Angul district will come from DMF, Padhi said adding that Rs 315.20 crore will be spent for piped water supply to Khurda and Dhenkanal districts from the state government's Basudha programme.

The cabinet also approved a proposal to execute a safe drinking water project in Mayurbhanj district at the cost of Rs 430 crore funded by OMBADC.

This apart, the Cabinet also approved a proposal to widen and strengthen the existing carriageway to two-lane road from Jamujhadi-Basdevpur-Dhamra road in collaboration and cooperation with the Dhamra Port Company Limited and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The road starts from National Highway-16 at Jamujdihi and ends at Dhamra port covering 50.470 kilometer.

The proposed road will provide important connectivity to Dhamra Port and Wheeler Island where Integrated Missile testing range is located, said Padhi adding that the work will be completed within 30 months.