CM Naveen Patnaik at a video conferencing with water resources dept
engineers at the Secretariat OP Photo
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: The state government has set a goal of irrigating 2.6 lakh hectare during 2016-17 fiscal.
“The government will try to irrigate 2.6lakh hectare land in 2016-17,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told engineers of Water Resources (WR) Department here Monday, adding, “The department should ensure irrigation of individual sub-sectors of DoWR and chief engineers of concerned sub –sectors need to drill down the target right up to the level of junior engineers and assistant engineers for ensuring appropriate accountability at all stages.”
Reminding engineers of the state’s commitment to farmers to bring additional 10 lakh hectares of farm land under irrigation by March 2019, Patnaik said, “All of you will work hard and rise to the occasion and achieve the target set by the government.’
Patnaik further directed the WR department to ensure completion of all incomplete projects by resolving all their problems.
He asked the officials and engineers to ensure “works are done with absolute integrity and transparency.’’
“Quality of the assets created must not be compromised with in any manner. Any lapses shall be severely dealt with,” the CM warned.
Stating completion of all minor irrigation projects is important, Patnaik said, “About 160 incomplete projects need to be completed in this fiscal.”
Suggesting close monitoring and follow-up action to ensure completion of 40 mega Lift Irrigation points commissioned in 2016-17, Patnaik asked the engineers to take energisation of deep borewells on a mission mode.
“The farmers’ share has been collected in this regard. OLIC should ensure these bore wells are sunk and energised in this fiscal.”
The state government has decided to restructure and strengthen the drainage organisaiton, he said. “The restructured drainage organisation must undertake large number of creek irrigation projects in non-irrigated pockets of the coastal districts,” he said.
The state has decided to intensify its efforts to bring more area under command area development – a state government strategy to ensure equitable distribution of water.