The Oversight Authority under the chairmanship of Justice AK Patnaik has expressed satisfaction over the quality and progress of the projects being implemented with the Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) funds.
Reviewing the projects in a high level meeting recently, Justice Patnaik said that the projects proposed by different departments are “well planned with appropriate objectives”. During his visit to different OMBADC districts, he had seen the project implementation moving at a fast rate. The feedback about the quality of the projects received from different quarters was also “quite good”.
Justice Patnaik appreciated the remarkable efforts of Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy and the State team in encountering the pandemic of Covid-19 and restarting the economic activities at a fast rate.
He advised to create a micro level data base of the OMBADC projects for effective real time monitoring. Tripathy directed the Collectors to expedite ground level implementation of the projects by maximum utilisation of the technical and engineering capacity already created at district level through OMBADC.
Collectors of Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar appraised that the district OMBADC cells had started functioning in their districts. Chief Secretary Tripathy directed the OMBADC to undertake an outcome assessment study of the OMBADC projects through an independent third party. The new projects worth around Rs 3,210 crore were considered and sanctioned in the meeting.
The approved projects included mega pipe water supply scheme to Lephripada, Tangrapalli, Sundargarh, Bargaon, Subdega and Balisankara block of Sundargarh district at estimated cost of Rs 585.16 crore; mega pipe water supply to 1,053 villages of 13 blocks in Myurbhanj district with estimated cost of Rs 1,531.39 crore; sustainable livelihood programme for sericulture farmers in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundaragarh, Jajpur and Dhenkanal district with cost of Rs 82.29 crore; livelihood generation programmes through handicraft in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundaragarh, Jajpur and Dhenkanal district with estimated cost of Rs 35.14 crore.