Finance
In an effort to improve weather forecasting and disaster preparedness in western Odisha, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday unveiled development projects totaling over Rs 960 crore and opened a “Make in India” Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) in Sambalpur.
According to officials, the radar, which is the third such facility in Odisha after Paradip and Gopalpur, would be operational 24/7 and offer weather data within a 250-kilometer radius, with forecasts of weather movements up to 450 kilometers.
Speaking at a function at Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur, Majhi stated that the radar would help 13 districts, including parts of neighboring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand as well as Sambalpur, Baragada, Jharsuguda, Sundaragada, Debagada, Subarnapur, Balangir, Boudh, Nuapada, Anugola, Kalahandi, Kendujhar, and Dhenkanal.
Every ten minutes, the system will forecast rainfall at a resolution of 150 meters. It will also give advance notice of thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms, and severe rain. Additionally, it will make it possible to take preventative actions in areas like power, industry, transportation, and grid operations, as well as increase inflow control at the Hirakud reservoir.
Majhi declared that Doppler radars would also be deployed in Baleshwar, Bhubaneswar, and Puri and stated that the state government was striving toward a proactive, technology-driven disaster management system.
Additionally, the chief minister laid the groundwork for 35 new projects valued at Rs 825.83 crore and inaugurated 15 completed projects totaling Rs 133.47 crore. The projects include a Rs 220.56-crore massive lift irrigation project, as well as health, sports, rural development, roads, buildings, and water resources.
He claimed that up till September of this year, Sambalpur had undergone development projects totaling around Rs 1,910 crore. The Rs 1,521-crore four-lane bypass, the Rs 1,700-crore VIMSAR expansion, the Rs 100-crore Aqua Park, and the Rs 100-crore Samalei Phase-II are among the ongoing projects.
He added that a Rs 450-crore “Drink from Tap” project under AMRUT 2.0 aims to supply 100 million liters of treated water per day to 41 wards of Sambalpur, while the government has approved Rs 238.14 crore for the Ainthapali Bus Terminal and its ten-year upkeep.
According to Majhi, industrial projects are being carried out, such as the Rs 32,000-crore JSW-JFE Steel project at Rengali and Hindalco’s Rs 40,000-crore expansion at Lapanga.
In a virtual speech, Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh announced that 40 more Doppler radars would be installed nationwide in the days ahead.
The Sambalpur radar, according to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, strengthened the state’s zero-casualty approach to disaster management and satisfied a long-standing demand of western Odisha.
Senior authorities like Rajya Sabha MP Manmohan Samal, MLA Jay Narayan Mishra, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, and others attended the occasion.
