Bhubaneswar: In a high-level review meeting of the Water Resources department held today, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi focused on flood preparedness in Odisha and advised senior officials concerned to operate 24x7 Control Room for effective management of probable floods during the rainy season.

“Chief Minister advised us to strengthen river embankments, stay vigil on any possible developments at weak and vulnerable points, and keep the officials on their toes to tackle any flood situation. We informed the CM that we have already completed mock drills on the opening of gates at different dams,” Water Resources Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg said mediapersons.

“Our department engineers and local tehsildars are regularly checking all embankments for an early detection of any growing snag (holes often created by foxes and mice), so that, those can be timely plugged in. The CM advised us to complete all delayed projects in the State at a faster pace, including mega lift irrigation, minor lift irrigation, and deep borewell projects,” the senior official stated.

“As per the election manifesto of BJP, a policy for effective flood control will be brought in the future. We have been asked to chalk out the details of a draft policy for government approval,” Anu Garg added.

It is pertinent to mention here that several irrigation projects in the State have been delayed due to problems in timely land acquisition, the forest clearance as well as difficulty in law and order.