A three-member expert team of the World Bank under the leadership of Paula Caballero, Senior Director Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, expressed its satisfaction over implementation of the Phase-I of the ICZMP in the state, an official release issued by the Chief Secretary's office said.
"Caballero said the outcomes of the ICZM interventions taken up during Phase-I in Odisha has been quite impressive and encouraging. She offered to extend further World Bank support for the interventions like capacity building, scientific management of fishery resources, eco-management in coastal industrial sites like Paradip," the release said.
He said the best practices developed during Phase-I interventions should be replicated and scaled up during Phase-II of the project.
Odisha was among the three states like Gujarat and West Bengal, which were implementing the ICZMP project. In the performance outcome of World Bank so far, Odisha was the leading state. Coastal Zone Management Society of Odisha has been formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for monitoring the implementation of the project.
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The Phase-I project period has been scheduled up to 2017
with a revised financial outlay of Rs 334 crore.
Major interventions taken up in the project include strengthening of Wetland Research and Training Centre at Chilika, Protection Measures for control of coastal erosion at Pentha in Kendrapara district, conservation of Biodiversity and Livelihood Security through eco-tourism, Alternative Livelihood for coastal fishermen, development of Participatory Eco-tourism at Chilika and Tampara, establishment of Coastal Mitigation Laboratory at Paradip and Solid Waste Management Project at Paradip.
The activities were being implemented through 14 departments, urban local bodies and special agencies. So far Rs 160 crore have been utilised, the officials said adding the annual action plan of Rs 7,853.91 lakh has been prepared for the 2015-16 fiscal.
Other members in the World Bank team who attended the meeting chaired by Odisha Chief Secretary were Kseniya Lvosky, Practice Manager of World Bank and Task Team Leader A Ramkrishna.