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The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
₹63-crore development projects cleared for nine Assembly constituencies in Alappuzha
Final approval has been granted for development projects worth ₹63 crore in nine Assembly constituencies in Alappuzha. The projects have been selected from proposals received during the Navakerala Sadas, the State government's public outreach programme. An amount of ₹4 crore has been sanctioned for addressing waterlogging issues and constructing protective walls for canals in Pattanakkad block in the Aroor Assembly constituency. Another ₹3 crore has been sanctioned for resolving waterlogging issues and building protective walls for roads in Thaikkattussery block in the constituency. The Water Resources department has been entrusted with implementing the projects. In the Cherthala constituency, approval has been given for the construction of a new mini civil station annexe at a cost of ₹7 crore. The project will be executed by the Public Works department (PWD). In the Alappuzha constituency, ₹7 crore has been allocated for the construction of Nehru Pavilion and an amenity centre at Punnamada. The Tourism department has been assigned the project. In the Ambalappuzha constituency, ₹7 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a new inpatient block at the Alappuzha General Hospital. The project will be executed by the PWD. A sum of ₹5.5 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of the Vellamthra–Thevarkad road and ₹1.5 crore for increasing the height of the Muttar road in the Kuttanad constituency. In the Haripad constituency, ₹5.5 crore has been sanctioned for the second phase of the Haritham Haripad project, which will be implemented by the Water Resources department. Besides, ₹1.5 crore has been allocated for the construction of the Prathimukham–Choorallakkal road in Haripad municipality. The Local Self-Government department will oversee the project implementation. District Autism Centre A sum of ₹3 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a new building and related facilities for the District Autism Centre in the Kayamkulam constituency. Another ₹4 crore has been earmarked for the construction of the Kayamkulam Kunnathaalum Kadavu road. The projects will be executed by the PWD. In the Mavelikara constituency, ₹4.75 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of the Charumoodu–Chunakkara Thiruvairur Mahadeva Temple-Kottamukku road and ₹2.25 crore for the Gurunathankulangara–Kannanamkuzhi–Palakkal road. In the Chengannur constituency, ₹5.3 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of the Mannar Community Health Centre. The PWD will oversee the construction. Another ₹1.7 crore has been allocated for the construction of the Guru Chengannur Cultural Complex. It will be implemented by the Department of Culture.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Flood situation improves in State
Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Odisha improved on Monday with water receding in most of the rivers, following which the body of a missing person was found. Waters were receding in the Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Baitarani, Jalaka and Budhabalanga rivers, which flooded six districts in the northern region of the State. The body of 28-year-old Santosh Jena, who went missing on Sunday, was fished out of Baitarani river in Dasrathpur block of Jajpur district. 'This is a very unfortunate incident. We appeal to all the people living in flood-affected areas to remain alert and not venture into the waters,' Jajpur's District Magistrate Ambar Kumar Kar said. Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who visited the flood-affected area in Bhadrakk district, said the situation has improved to a great extent with the water receding in all rivers. But the flood water, which has entered villages and farmland, may take some days to drain out, he said. 'The State government has intensified relief operations and needy people are being provided dry food, cooked meals, medicines, anti-venom injections and essential support for cattle,' he added. In Balasore district, Basta, Bhogarai, Jaleswar and Baliapal are the most-affected blocks because of the Subarnarekha river, an official said. A total of 18,000 people have been affected in these four blocks, and over 5,000 people are being provided food from the community kitchens, he said. Over 16 flood shelters have been made operational, while 250 quintals of flattened rice and 25 quintals of jaggery have already been distributed among the affected population, he added. Health teams are providing medicines and ORS sachets, with doctors and paramedics conducting door-to-door visits. 'Pregnant women nearing delivery are being identified and shifted to safer locations with the help of ASHA workers and ANMs. Simultaneously, veterinary teams are conducting animal health and vaccination camps in flood-affected areas,' the official said. 'Baliapal and Bhograi blocks are the worst affected during this spell of flood,' he said, adding that the flood situation in the Subarnarekha river has significantly improved. 'The river is now flowing much below the danger mark at Rajghat,' he said. Senior engineers of the Water Resources department are camping in the district, keeping a close watch on the Subarnarekha basin, he added. All the reservoirs are in a healthy condition and there is no requirement to discharge excess flood water. The water level at Hirakud dam stands at around 615 feet against the full reservoir level of 630 feet. 'As much as 5.18 lakh cusec of water was flowing at Mundali near Cuttack. It will flow within the river and cause no damage,' he said.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Raging Brahmani recedes, around 200 return home in Odisha's Rourkela
ROURKELA: Residents of low-lying areas of Brahmani river in Rourkela and those residing downstream in Bonai sub-division heaved a sigh of relief after the river recorded a drop in water-level on Sunday. Just a day back on Saturday, the river was still swelling and flowing above danger level at its originating point in Rourkela, prompting the administration to evacuate around 300 residents of Balughat area to safety. The raging Brahmani was flowing at 178.72 metre above the danger mark of 178.42 metre, giving sleepless nights to those residing along the banks of the river. Sources in the Water Resources department informed that the water-level of the river was going down, attributing the improvement in situation to the drop in rainfall activity from midnight in the catchment areas. 'At around 1.30 pm on the day, the river was flowing at 176.64 metre against the warning level of 177.51 metre and danger mark of 178.72 metre,' they informed. Amid less inflow of water from its major tributaries, Sankh and Koel rivers, the officials expected further improvement in the situation.
New Indian Express
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Mahanadi dispute should be resolved amicably: CM Mohan Charan Majhi
BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi once again reiterated the need for an amicable solution through discussion between Odisha and Chhattisgarh on the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute. Chairing a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, the chief minister pointed out that efforts to resolve the issue through the Central Water Commission (CWC) have been slow. 'A mutually agreeable solution could be reached through discussions between the two states with the support of the central government. The CWC could provide technical assistance in this regard,' he added. The chief minister, who had taken up the issue with his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai on two occasions, said an early resolution to the long-standing dispute will improve relations between the two states. Majhi and Sai had previously discussed the issue on the sidelines of the All India Conference of the State Water Resources Ministers in Rajasthan in February and again on the occasion of World Water Day in Bhubaneswar in March this year. Both of them had emphasised the need for an amicable solution on the dispute. The meeting was informed that official-level talks between the two states were underway to resolve the issue. Since the CWC intervention has not made much headway, the meeting felt the need for the active support of the central government for an early resolution. The meeting was attended by Advocate General Pitambar Acharya, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja, development commissioner and additional chief secretary of Water Resources department Anu Garg, principal secretary to the Chief Minister Saswata Mishra and senior officials and engineers of the Water Resources department.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AP's water resources department struggles to revive Rs 1200 crore stalled projects
Vijayawada: The Water Resources department is struggling to revive canals and projects following a decision to stop all works that were not completed beyond 25 percent progress. Both the YSRCP and NDA governments took similar decisions to suspend works with little or no progress, resulting in the wastage of several hundred crores of public money. Instead of finding ways to get ongoing works back on track, successive governments have initiated new projects for political reasons. This has not only placed a massive burden on the exchequer but also resulted in the draining of public funds. Taking the issue seriously, the Water Resources department conducted a study to identify how many works were stalled due to poor progress and the amount already spent on them. The study found that works worth Rs 1200 crore were left unfinished in recent years. The department noted that the abrupt cancellation of works had only caused wastage of money already spent. "We can suspend works if they did not commence, as there is no loss to the exchequer. But canceling works that had already started and for which bills were partially paid causes huge losses and does not yield the desired results," said a senior official. The previous YSRCP government decided to cancel all works that were either not started or had progress below 25 per cent. Surprisingly, some works with progress as high as 24.5 per cent were also suspended under pressure from local leaders. In fact, several SEs and CEs reported progress by splitting work packages, which caused more loss to the exchequer since the overall percentage fell below 25 per cent. "Most works in the Water Resources Department are divided into different packages, and irrigation water can be extended to end-users only if all packages are completed. While some packages showed 80 per cent progress, others reported only 10-15 per cent. This caused the overall progress to fall short of the 25 per cent target, leading to cancellation of the entire work," explained a senior official.
