Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Works Department has completed repair works on 10 of the 12 road stretches damaged by Cyclone Arnab and subsequent heavy floods, while the remaining two stretches will be restored within the next two days, officials said on Monday.
The progress of road infrastructure restoration was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Law, Works and Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan at Lok Seva Bhawan here.
Emphasising the need to strengthen road infrastructure against climate-induced disasters, Harichandan called for the construction of more durable and disaster-resilient roads to tackle the growing incidence of flash floods and landslides.
He stressed the need for protection walls in landslide-prone areas, improved drainage systems and permanent safety measures to prevent damage to roads during natural disasters.
The meeting reviewed damage caused by the cyclone and heavy flooding, along with restoration work undertaken by various divisions, including NH Division, Kandhamal, Paralakhemundi, Ganjam, Gajapati, Phulbani, Bhanjanagar, Koraput, Malkangiri and Jeypore.
Of the 12 damaged road stretches on NH-59, NH-157 and NH-326, repair work on 10 has been completed, while the remaining two are expected to be fully restored within 48 hours.
Principal Secretary, Works, Sanjay Kumar Singh appreciated the efforts of departmental officers, engineers and field teams for swiftly repairing damaged roads and other infrastructure and restoring normal road connectivity across affected areas.
The meeting also decided to prepare video documentation and publish a booklet detailing post-cyclone restoration works. The initiative is aimed at facilitating quicker response, better planning and preparedness during future disasters.
Among those present were Special Secretary, Works Department and Engineer-in-Chief Sameer Hota, Engineer-in-Chief (Civil) Satyabrata Behera, OSD L.K. Padhi, Chief Engineer National Highways-1 Narayan Patel, Chief Engineer Bridges-1 Prabhas Kumar Majhi, Chief Engineer Bridges-2 Tapan Kumar Behera and Chief Engineer Buildings-2 Trinath Behera.
Chief Engineer Roads-2 Sivabrata Taria and superintending engineers of various zones attended the meeting virtually.
