Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated a Mega Lift Irrigation Project on river Ret, which will provide irrigation facilities to about 5,000 hectares of land in the Kalahandi district.
During his short visit to Kalahandi, Patnaik also inaugurated a high level bridge over river Udanti and five model schools in different places of the district.
The Mega Lift irrigation project at Loitara under Kesinga block has been constructed at a cost of Rs 212 crore, wherein the high level bridge over river Udanti near Kandluljhar is built at an estimated cost of Rs 13 crorr.
The five model schools inaugurated by the Chief Minister include the ones at Musiguda, Junagarh, Kalampur, Chapatkhanda and Vejipadar.
Each of these schools have been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2.94 crore.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of a high level bridge over river Ret near Kankutru under Lanjigarh block to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 4.97 crore.
Addressing a public meeting at Jolko near Kesinga, Patnaik said since 2005 the Centre has reduced allotment for the Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) project, but the state government has been investing Rs 120 crore to compensate the short fall.
"The state government has enhanced funding to the KBK scheme to Rs 220 crore now. During the coming five years, the government has set a target to invest Rs 8,000 crore for the development of irrigation in western Odisha," Patnaik said.
In view of prevailing drought condition, collection of
water tax and agriculture loan have been stopped, Patnaik said adding, the people would now get work for 200 days under MGNREGA and there would be a hike of 30 per cent in the wages under this scheme.
He claimed during the last 15 years Kalahandi was on the path of development with the improvement of infrastructure, industrialisation and economical development.
Presiding over the meeting, former minister and senior BJD MLA Balabhadra Majhi alleged there was a conspiracy by the Congress to stall industrialisation in Kalahandi taking the name of tribals and misguiding the people.
Majhi appealed the Chief Minister for establishment of the proposed Agriculture University in Kalahandi.
Tight security was in place at the venue and close watch was kept using a drone in view of protests from the opposition parties.
As a preventive measure, 54 BJP activists from Kesinga and 11 Congress activists from Bhawanipatna were taken into custody and released after the Chief Minister's departure.
