Bhubaneswar: Odisha to come out with a River Policy soon with an proposal to invest Rs 75,000 crore in development of water resources infrastructures in the state in the next five years.
The Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, Thursday directed the state water resources department to prepare a comprehensive river policy in the next three months.
Patnaik said several barrages will be constructed on the Mahanadi river to store water which will be utilised for agricultural purposes as well as providing drinking water. The barrages will be constructed where there is less possibility of displacement, he added.
Official sources said the Odisha government is preparing a master plan to utilise the Mahanadi’s waters by constructing as many as seven barrages in the downstream of the river and 22 barrages on tributaries and distributaries of the river. The government would also spend Rs 400 crore in next three years for concrete lining of the Bargarh main canal. The tendering process for the Gangadhar Meher Megalift Canal System would be started in three months, the sources added.
