In the wake of Cyclone ‘Arnab’, Minister for Law, Works, and Excise, Prithviraj Harichandan, chaired a high-level review meeting today at the Lok Seva Bhawan conference hall to assess the extent of damage to road infrastructure and track the progress of ongoing restoration efforts.
Addressing the escalating threats of flash floods and landslides driven by climate change, the Minister strongly emphasized the need for robust, permanent, and disaster-resilient road infrastructure. The discussions heavily focused on constructing protection walls in landslide-prone areas, strengthening drainage systems, and taking necessary measures to ensure the long-term safety of the state’s roadways.
Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh expressed his gratitude to the engineers, departmental officials, and ground teams for their swift execution of repairs and infrastructure restoration across various affected regions. He lauded the dedication and promptness of the departmental teams in normalizing communication and transport networks in record time.
The review meeting featured detailed discussions on the damage and repair status of roads under the NH Division, alongside Kandhamal, Paralakhemundi, Ganjam, Gajapati, Phulbani, Bhanjanagar, Koraput, Malkangiri, and Jeypore divisions, which were severely battered by the cyclone and subsequent massive floods.
Officials provided a progress update on heavily impacted routes, specifically NH-59, NH-157, and NH-326. Out of 12 severely damaged road links on these highways, restoration work on 10 has already been completed, while the remaining two are slated for completion within the next 48 hours.
The Works Department’s rapid response closely aligns with the Chief Minister’s vision of providing swift and uninterrupted services to the public. To aid future disaster management planning and facilitate prompt action during similar crises, it was decided that all post-cyclone restoration activities will be comprehensively recorded through video documentation and published as a reference booklet.
The meeting was attended by key officials, including Works Department Special Secretary and Engineer-in-Chief Er. Samir Hota, EIC (Civil) Er. Satyabrata Behera, OSD Er. L.K. Padhi, Chief Engineer (NH-1) Er. Narayan Patel, Chief Engineer (Bridges-1) Er. Prabhas Kumar Majhi, Chief Engineer (Bridges-2) Er. Tapan Kumar Behera, and Chief Engineer (Buildings-2) Er. Trinath Behera. Additionally, Chief Engineer (Roads-2) Er. Sibabrata Taria and several zonal Superintending Engineers participated in the proceedings via virtual mode.
