Jharsuguda: A review meeting was held today through video conference with the District Magistrates of 17 districts to be affected by the low-pressure system formed in the north and central Bay of Bengal.
It is worth noting that according to the data of the India Meteorological Department, 3 districts namely Koraput, Malkangiri and Kalahandi are likely to be particularly affected by the low-pressure system, while 14 districts namely Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Balangir, Rayagada, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Puri, Khordha, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara have also been issued warnings. The Chief Minister discussed with the District Magistrates of the affected districts regarding the advance preparations for the rains.
Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi chairing the meeting directed the District Magistrates to keep the control rooms at the district and block levels functioning for 24 hours (24×7) and update their data regularly, and also advised them to take necessary steps after observing the changing situation.
The Chief Minister directed the people to be prepared to deal with the low-pressure rains and said that heavy rains can lead to flood in various places including urban areas. Drainage engineers and officials should be prepared with support staff and equipment to deal with such a situation.
The Chief Minister directed the urban local bodies to make advance arrangements for the drainage of water from the areas that are likely to face waterlogging at this time. Along with this, the engineering staff in charge advised the District Collectors to keep a close watch on the weak points of the rivers and canal embankments.
The Chief Minister directed the ODRAF and Fire Service units to be fully prepared for immediate assistance, especially in low-lying areas or where there is a risk of flash flood and other necessary places. Along with this, he asked the District Collectors to identify such areas as there is a possibility of landslides in the hilly areas and keep the field staff ready. The Chief Minister advised to take more precautionary measures especially in Malkangiri district.
The meeting was informed that the multi-purpose flood shelters have been made ready for use and food and other essential items have been kept in them. The Chief Minister advised that if required, people from the low-lying areas should be taken to the shelters and cooked food should be provided.
Instructions were also given to keep sufficient stocks of medicines, snake bite injections, cow dung and other animal feed required in various areas.
The Chief Minister said that Odisha has the capacity to deal with natural disasters and the state has earned appreciation at the national level. Therefore, the Chief Minister expressed hope that the problems related to this heavy rain will be managed properly.
The review meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Shri Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Shri Suresh Pujari, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Rural Development Minister Shri Rabi Narayan Nayak and through virtual mode, Commerce and Transport, Steel and Mines Minister Shri Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Fisheries and Livestock Development Minister Shri Gokulanand Mallick.
Chief Secretary, Shri Manoj Ahuja, Director General of Police, Shri Y B Khurania, Additional Chief Secretary of Home, Shri Satyabrata Sahu, Director General of Fire Services and Civil Defence, Shri Sudhanshu Sarangi, Principal Secretary Energy, Shri Vishal Dev, Southern Revenue Commissioner, Shri Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav, District Magistrates, SPs, Directors of India Meteorological Department and other senior officials of 17 districts likely to receive rainfall.