Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has directed officials to identify landslide-prone roads in hilly regions under the Rural Development Department and submit mitigation proposals for funding under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) for 2026-27.
In a letter issued by the Office of the Engineer-in-Chief, Rural Works, Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers of various divisions including Koraput, Jeypore, Sunabeda, Malkanagiri I &II, Nabarangapur I & II, Baripada, Karanjia, Rairangpur, Udala, Mohana, Rayagada, Gunupur and Gajapati have been instructed to prioritise roads that frequently suffer landslides and slope failures during the southwest monsoon or intense rainfall. Such incidents often cut off important habitations, disrupt connectivity, damage public infrastructure and cause hardship to local communities.
The government has emphasised that these roads must be made capable of withstanding heavy rain with minimal maintenance so they can serve as lifelines during disasters. Officials have been asked to include necessary protective measures in their proposals, such as retaining walls, slope stabilisation, proper drainage, rock-fall protection, stone pitching and bio-engineering solutions based on site-specific technical requirements.
Feasible proposals, along with the required information in the prescribed format, must be submitted (both hard and soft copies) through the concerned Chief Construction Engineers within seven days for onward transmission to the government for funding under SDMF.
