Bhubaneswar/Jharsuguda: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday chaired a high-level review meeting via video conference with the collectors of 17 districts likely to be affected by the heavy rainfall triggered by a low-pressure system over the northern and central Bay of Bengal. The meeting was held from Jharsuguda, where the Chief Minister directed officials to remain on round-the-clock alert and ensure effective preparedness.
The Chief Minister instructed district collectors to keep control rooms at district and block levels operational 24×7, with data updated regularly. Stressing the possibility of urban flooding and waterlogging, he directed local urban bodies to make advance arrangements for drainage. Engineers and support staff were asked to remain on standby with equipment, while field officials were told to monitor vulnerable river and canal embankments closely.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, and Kalahandi are expected to be most severely affected. Alert warnings have also been issued for Nawarangpur, Nuapada, Bolangir, Rayagada, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Puri, Khurda, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara.
To tackle potential emergencies, the Chief Minister ordered the ODRF and Fire Services to remain fully prepared, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas. He also emphasized the need to identify and secure landslide-prone areas in hilly regions.
The review meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, and virtually by Commerce and Transport, Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena and MSME, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik. Senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, DGP, senior bureaucrats, SPs, collectors of the 17 districts, and IMD officials, also joined the session.
