Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday said that the government has taken up construction of 30 In-instream Storage structures were in progress. He said 16 more such projects were in progress. These structures will not only help in conserving surface water for different purposes including rural water supply, but also enhance the ground water level, he added.

The chief minister was speaking while welcoming 106 junior engineers recruited in the State water resources department.

He said, “Being technocrats, I expect all of you to be in sync with changing and new technologies that can bring efficiency and transparency to your work. That will help achieve the mandate of our 5T initiative of the state.”

Stating, “We have more than two thousand five hundred dams and construction of some more dams like Lower Suktel, Deo, Kanpur and Ghatkeswar are in progress, he said the newly recruited engineers have a key role in construction and maintenance of these dams.

Highlighting the achievements of her department water resources minister Tukuni Sahu said the chief minister has always given priority to empowerment of women. The newly recruited engineers must try their best to bring the benefits of State’s initiatives to people’s doorsteps, she advised.

Chief secretary Suresh Mohapatra advised the engineers to work with commitment and transparency.

Sharing their experiences, newly recruited engineers Krshna Priyadarshini, Anjali Parida and Arjun Das appreciated the transparency in the recruitment system and computer based choice locking system for posting.

Interacting with the new recruits, secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian   advised the engineers to have complete trust on their own merit. As they have come through purely a merit based recruitment process, they should work without any fear or favour.

ACS water resources Anu Garg gave the welcome address and EIC water resources offered the vote of thanks.