Bhubaneswar: Students from government ITIs and engineering institutions have joined restoration work for water supply and electricity in cyclone and flood-hit Ganjam district.
Collector and District Magistrate, Ganjam posted on X that around 40 students from five government ITIs and Uma Charan Pattnaik Engineering School, Berhampur are repairing damaged pumps and electrical equipment. They have already completed repair work at Aska Sub-Division Hospital.
Following heavy rain and floods after Cyclone Arnab, electricity and water supply were disrupted in several parts of Ganjam. Water pumps and electrical appliances at government establishments and private homes were damaged after being submerged on October 28. With repair workshops also flooded and shortage of skilled workers, thousands of families were struggling to get equipment fixed.
To address the crisis, district administration deployed students from electrical, electronics and plumbing streams of ITIs at Berhampur, Sheragada, Purushottampur, Hinjilicut and Chhatrapur, along with UCP Government Engineering School.
Divided into six groups, each with a supervisor, students began work on Monday and are repairing air-conditioners, water pumps, plumbing systems and other household appliances.
“By connecting technical education with social service, these young students have demonstrated their skills in post-disaster rehabilitation and restoration work,” said ITI Berhampur Principal Ranjan Kumar Parida.
District Skill Development and Employment Officer Arpita Priyadarshini said teams are working under supervision of district administration and will continue visiting affected areas over next few days to help normalise daily life in Aska, one of the worst-affected towns.
