Bhubaneswar: Amid delays in the execution of large-scale infrastructure projects across Odisha, Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Wednesday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the status of major ongoing works and issued directions to expedite their completion.
The review covered infrastructure projects spanning key sectors such as roads, bridges, railways, drinking water, water resources, and industrial development. Delays have been attributed to factors including forest and environmental clearances, land acquisition challenges, land provision by the state government, power supply issues, and other procedural bottlenecks.
Secretaries of concerned departments and district collectors participated in the meeting, with collectors from relevant districts joining via video conferencing. The Chief Secretary examined project-wise progress and emphasized the need for timely resolution of pending issues to ensure smooth implementation.
Highlighting that the Prime Minister regularly reviews major infrastructure projects across states to ensure adherence to timelines, Chief Secretary Anu Garg directed state departments to conduct periodic reviews at their respective levels. Although such review meetings are scheduled on the third Saturday of every month, this month’s meeting was held on Wednesday due to unavoidable circumstances. She noted that consistent monitoring would help accelerate project execution.
During the meeting, discussions were held on land arrangements being undertaken by IDCO and the district administration for the proposed industrial park in the Dhamra investment area of Bhadrak district. Progress was also reviewed on the provision of remaining land, power supply, and water facilities for the PDPP Chemicals Complex being developed by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Paradip.
The review further covered issues related to land availability, environmental clearances, and water supply for upcoming petrochemical industries in Paradip and Kendrapara districts, as well as the implementation status of the Hindalco-Aditya Aluminium project. Several other major infrastructure initiatives across the state were also assessed.
Emphasizing the importance of swift and seamless infrastructure development, the Chief Secretary called for strengthened institutional mechanisms to address inter-departmental challenges. She stated that faster infrastructure rollout would significantly boost industrial growth and allied sectors in the state.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Saswat Mishra, IPICOL Managing Director Bhupendra Singh Punia, and senior officials from the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, MSME Department, and other key departments.
