Bhubaneswar: After a gap of nine years, the Odisha Water Supply & Sewerage Board (OWSSB) convened its 27th Board Meeting on Monday under the chairmanship of Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra. The previous Board meeting of OWSSB was held in 2016.
The meeting was organised following the reconstitution of the OWSSB Board in October 2025, a move aimed at reviving and strengthening the institution in line with the State’s expanding urban water supply and sewerage management needs.
Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, who also serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the Board, was present and led the detailed deliberations during the meeting.
Senior officials and members attended the meeting, including the Additional Secretary, Finance-cum-Director, Institutional Finance; the Chairpersons of Keonjhar and Dhenkanal Municipalities and Kodala NAC as ex-officio members; and non-official members Tapan Kumar Chand, former CMD of NALCO, and Ratindra Narayana Mallick, former Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO). The Managing Director of WATCO and the Engineer-in-Chief of OWSSB participated as the Member Convenor.
The Board discussed around 24 agenda items covering key administrative, financial, and technical matters. Among the major decisions taken were the confirmation of minutes of the previous Board meeting, ratification of gratuity payments to three Daily Labour Roll (DLR) employees, and approval of an enhancement of ₹200 in the special incentive for DLRs working under OWSSB. Several other proposals aimed at improving organisational efficiency and service delivery were also deliberated upon.
To comprehensively address certain administrative and technical issues, the Board decided to constitute a committee that will examine the relevant proposals in detail and submit its recommendations for further action.
The Board also underlined the need for holding meetings on a regular basis to ensure effective governance, timely decision-making, and improved functioning of OWSSB in the larger public interest.
