By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The Water Resources Team of Odisha and Ganjam district were on Friday felicitated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for their success in getting National Water Awards.
Chief Minister Patnaik expected the same commitment would continue so that Odisha would be a role model to others at the National and International levels.
It may be recalled here that while the State has received an award as the second-best state in water conservation and management, the Ganjam district has got the top award among the districts at the 4th National Water Awards. A felicitation programme was organized at Lok Seva Bhawan for this purpose.
The CM said that the Water Resources Department is implementing 5-T principles in letter and spirit. And the results are here to see. Many of the irrigation projects such as Lower Suktel, Kanupur project, Subarnarekha, Chheligada and many others projects are nearing completion. “ My sincere appreciation to the entire team”, he praised the department.
The CM continued that the kind of in-stream storage structures and mega lift projects that have been taken up will change the face of the irrigation potential of the state and in turn, the lives of millions of our farmers.
The CM said that his government provides top priority to the development of water resources. We have completed a number of projects in recent years to fulfil the aspirations of people. The expectation of people from the Government has been growing. “ So we should keep working hard. Any impact in water resources has a tremendous impact on agriculture and in the lives of our farmers.”, he advised.
Highlighting the initiatives of the state in water resources, the CM said that in the last four years, his government has approved projects worth Rs 46 Thousand Crore for water sector development and committed to invest Rs 75 thousand Crore in the next five years. The Water Resources Department needs to formulate strategies and build climate resilient sustainable water infrastructure to make Odisha a Water Secure State at the earliest. That apart, all Collectors need to take up water conservation measures on a large scale as done by Collector, Ganjam to meet the water requirement of their Districts.
Speaking on the occasion Water Resources Minister Smt.Tukuni Sahu praised the vision of the Chief Minister for taking Odisha on the path of transformation. She cited the example of Kalahandi and spoke about its transformation in food production. She assured that the Department would work hard to fulfil the objectives of the Chief Minister.
Chief Secretary Shri P.K. Jena appreciated the efforts of the WR Department in providing irrigation facilities, water conservation, participation of farmers in Pani Panchayat and its efforts in reducing the impact of climate change.
Development Commission and ACS Water Resources Smt. Anu Garg highlighted the achievement of the WR Department and how different irrigation projects are changing the lives of people in water-scarce districts.
During the programme, Collector Ganjam Shri Dibyajyoti Parida, and two Field Officers – Engineer Susant Majhi and Engineer Purna Chandra Panigrahi shared their experiences in implementing various projects of the department. They highlighted that the team efforts and focus on timely completion of projects have led to this success.5-T Secretary V.K. Pandian and other senior officers were present.
