Gastro aftermath: Govt to speed up pipe water projects

STIRRED into action following the recent diarrhoea outbreak in several districts which claimed at least 24 lives, the state government has constituted a high-level inter-departmental committee to speed up implementation of mega piped water supply (PWS) projects.

- HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @ Bhubaneswar

Of the 207 mega PWS projects sanctioned between 2019 and 2023 for 314 blocks in the state, only 16 have been completed and the remaining ones are facing inordinate delays due to various issues, including forest land approvals, right of way (RoW), damage to pipelines, power supply and low voltage.

The committee headed by development commissioner Anu Garg met on Friday and decided to resolve all bottlenecks within a month. The move came in the wake of an extensive report titled 'Loose motion: Flush with systemic rot' by The New Indian Express on June 30 which exposed the gaps in the state's public health and water infrastructure.