Paperman Media ( Bhubaneswar )- With the objective of further strengthening and enhancing the effectiveness of the State's disaster management system, a high-level review meeting was held today at Lok Seva Bhawan under the chairmanship of the Hon'ble Minister, Revenue & Disaster Management, Shri Suresh Pujari. Emphasising the need to strengthen disaster management infrastructure across the State, the Hon'ble Minister assured that there would be no constraints from the State Government in providing adequate financial support and other necessary facilities for disaster management.
During the meeting, a detailed review was undertaken on the expenditure plan under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The progress of various projects and the utilisation of funds allocated to different departments were comprehensively reviewed. The Hon'ble Minister directed all concerned departments to expedite the implementation of projects under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), ensuring their completion well before the stipulated timelines.
The progress of the construction of Multipurpose Flood & Cyclone Centres was also reviewed in detail. The Hon'ble Minister instructed the concerned departments to identify the proposed sites in various districts at the earliest, ensure effective inter-departmental coordination, and expedite the construction of these centres.
The meeting was informed that the installation of the Doppler Weather Radar at Sambalpur is almost complete and will be inaugurated shortly. The Hon'ble Minister also reviewed the progress of the proposed Doppler Radar installations at Balasore, Bhubaneswar and Puri, directing that these projects be completed within the current year.
The meeting further reviewed the State's preparedness in view of the potential impact of El Niño. It was decided that close coordination would be maintained with the Water Resources Department to ensure optimum utilisation of reservoirs, irrigation projects and water storage facilities for irrigation purposes. The Hon'ble Minister also directed that the proposed Heat Wave Centres in the identified vulnerable districts be completed and made operational before the onset of the next summer season.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Arabinda Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management Department; Shri Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Special Relief Commissioner; Smt. Shubha Sharma, Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department; Smt. Yamini Sarangi, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Rural Development Department ; Dr. Manorama Mohanty, Director, IMD, Bhubaneswar Centre, Executive Directors of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA); and senior officers of various departments.
