Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Tuesday chaired a secretary-level meeting to review the state’s preparedness to deal with the impending cyclone ‘Dana’.
The meeting was attended by Satyabrata Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department; Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department and Special Relief Commissioner; Surendra Kuma, Additional Chief Secretary, PA&PG Department; G. Mathivathanan, Director General of Gopabandhu Academy of Administration were present. Additionally, the secretaries and commissioners from various departments were also present in the meeting.
The Chief Secretary addressed the administrative measures in anticipation of potential low-pressure rain and storms with the Secretaries.
The agenda included ensuring the continuity of telephone services, electricity, drinking water, health services for the public, and the functionality of educational institutions post-cyclone.
The primary challenge is the immediate provision of drinking water in both rural and urban areas during power failures caused by the cyclone. Likewise, it is crucial to have DG/Generator sets available in hospitals to ensure they remain operational at all times.
In light of this, the Panchayatiraj and Drinking Water Department, along with the Housing and Urban Development Department, have been directed to fill overhead water tanks to 100% capacity on the 23rd and 24th, monitoring the situation closely.
The Department of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Panchayatiraj, and Drinking Water have been tasked with coordinating and preparing the required generator sets and other services. They are to oversee the mechanical state of the generator sets and have been advised to ensure all necessary personnel are prepared. The instructions include readying the generator sets with diesel and conducting a trial run promptly.
Similarly, the meeting highlighted the need for adequate preparations to supply water to the necessary locations and areas using tanks post-storm. The public has been urged to conserve water and use it judiciously during the cyclone and until normalcy is restored.
The meeting also reviewed the expenditures of various departments up to the end of September and recommended accelerating the utilization of funds as per the budgetary approval.
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