
Dhamtari's ‘MAA' mission aims to restore Mahanadi's origin area
Raipur: The Dhamtari district administration launched a special campaign, 'Mahanadi Awakening Abhiyan' (MAA), to restore the Mahanadi River's origin area.
The 18-km stretch from Pharshiya to Sihawa will be covered under this initiative, which aims to enhance ecological balance and promote sustainable development.
Dhamtari collector Abinash Mishra said the comprehensive reformation of the Mahanadi River's origin will involve desilting the riverbed, reinforcing banks, enhancing green cover, beautifying surroundings, making the area accessible to the public, developing the surrounding region, and engaging the community in conservation efforts.
Mishra said that by revitalising the river's source, MAA hopes to enhance the region's popularity, transforming the river's origin into a tourist attraction, boosting agricultural output, and improving the livelihoods of local residents as well as the regional economy.
MAA was inaugurated on May 2 and the ceremony was joined by thousands of villagers across several villages in the Dhamtari district.
Mishra said the MAA campaign is a special initiative and an extended version of the state govt's ongoing campaign 'Mor Gaon, Mor Paani'. A nearly 20 km stretch alongside the Mahanadi River, considered the lifeline of Chhattisgarh and one of the ten largest rivers in India, will be covered under the MAA campaign.
He said that this is a large project initiated in India and they are working scientifically to ensure better results.
In the last two months, cleaning, encroachment removal, beautification, and plantation on the river banks were undertaken. The collector said ten villages, including Pharshiya, Sambalpur, Chikhli, and Ganeshwar, will benefit through sustainable development plans executed under the campaign.
Major emphasis will be given to developing Karneshwar Mahadev Dham and Shringi Rishi Ashram, spread across 1.5 km, as a tourist spot. Road widening and anicut construction will be done. Measures will be taken to overcome the water crisis under the campaign. collector said they are taking help from educational institutions, NCC, NSS, various govt departments, public participation, and IIT Madras for technical support.
Mishra said it is a one-year project and this awareness campaign is dedicated to rejuvenating the Mahanadi, which originates in Chhattisgarh, flows across Odisha, and finally merges into the Bay of Bengal. He added that it is a collective movement to build awareness, encourage participation, and foster responsibility towards conserving and rejuvenating the Mahanadi.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Prisons Department to join hands with HYDRAA to develop Cherlapally Lake in Hyderabad
The residents of Cherlapally in Hyderabad will soon enjoy a beautiful public space surrounding a rejuvenated lake adjoining the Central Prison. Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has been assigned the responsibility of developing and beautifying the 58-acre Cherlapally Lake, on the request of Soumya Mishra, Director General of the Prisons Department. HYDRAA engineering officers stated that as part of the rejuvenation project, a nearly 3-kilometer-long walking track would be built around the lake, along with pathways, mini-parks, trees, seating arrangements, and CCTV cameras. They also said the Cherlapally Lake is connected to six chain lakes from Hakimpet and includes a diversion nala to prevent sewage from contaminating its waters. Mishra met with A V Ranganath, Commissioner of HYDRAA, on Tuesday, and showed him videos of the lake situated on the Cherlapally jail premises. Ranganath instructed his team to rejuvenate the lake has promised to visit the lake soon. 'Earlier, Ameenpur Lake was rejuvenated by the Telangana Special Protection Force, which resulted in the return of migratory birds. Similarly, as part of our environmental consciousness, we have been doing a lot of things, and we believe this initiative serves to give back to society,' Mishra told Mishra also stated that the representatives from Cherlapally Industries are ready to provide funds for reviving the lake under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. 'At our open-air prison in Cherlapally, our inmates are already doing a lot. Besides our prisoners who work outside, we can also employ released prisoners along with our staff to develop and upkeep the lake. Once the community gets involved, they will be less likely not defile it. Our inmates will feel useful contributing to society,' the DG added. During the meeting, Mishra lauded HYDRAA's efforts in preserving and restoring the lakes, nalas, and government and public utility lands. Officials from HYDRAA and the Prisons Department also attended the meeting.


Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
NCC cadets gets disaster relief & military training
Udupi: The 10-day Combined Annual Training Camp (CATC) conducted by the 21 Karnataka Battalion NCC at Karkala Jnana Sudha PU College from June 1 will conclude on Tuesday. The camp brought together 592 NCC cadets for an overview of military training, camp life, physical training, firing and obstacle course training. Selected cadets were also incorporated into Disaster Relief Management Training conducted by representatives of the District Disaster Management Authority as part of the Yuva Aapda Mitra Cadre. Cadets were also exposed to 'Riot Control Drills' and experienced a live firing demonstration of stun and smoke grenades conducted on June 5 by the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner's office at Nakre Firing Range. The CATC was conducted under the aegis of NCC Group Headquarters Mangaluru, and Colonel Viraj Kamath, group commander, Mangalore Group, interacted with the NCC cadets and oversaw the training. Addressing the cadets on the first day of the CATC, Col Kamath said NCC offers good learning opportunities at an early age and NCC cadets should make good use of it. He called upon cadets to hone their skills during the camps and training programme. He said discipline and moral courage are the two gifts that NCC offers to the cadets. Further guiding the NCC cadets, he told them to get the NCC 'C' certificate so they can directly go for the Service Selection Board (SSB) interview.


The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
DCET: Document verification from June 10 to 13
For the lateral entry into the third semester or second-year engineering courses and to gain eligibility for first-year architecture courses, document verification for candidates who have secured a Diploma Common Entrance Test (DCET) rank will be conducted from June 10 to 13 at government and aided polytechnic colleges. The list of 37 colleges where document verification will take place has been published on the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) website. Candidates must visit any one of the colleges near them in person. Before that, candidates are required to book an appointment date in advance, as stated in the official notification. Candidates must carry all original educational documents supporting the claims made during the online application, along with certificates related to special categories (such as NCC, sports, defence personnel, ex-servicemen, CAPF, ex-CAPF — only if claimed) without fail, he further explained.