Koraput: Even as the nation is about to celebrate Independence Day this month, a village in Malkangiri district with a population of 300 has got access to clean drinking water after inauguration of the Gurupriya bridge.
For Janbai village which was cut off for around six decades the bridge is not just a connection to the mainland, but is also a milestone in development.
A blueprint was prepared to ensure implementation of development programmes in Swabhiman Anchala a week after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Gurupriya bridge and declared a package of Rs 100 crore for Malkangiri to take up infrastructure projects, said Collector Manish Agarwal.
Janbai emerged as an island after the creation of the Balimela dam reservoir, a joint venture of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Till date, the villagers were dependent on rainwater.
The bridge helped in moving a rig to the village last Tuesday and the process of digging 24 tube wells in nine villages began.
The first tube well came up in front of the primary health centre in Janbai in Badapada panchayat.
The Collector said the survey for the Panasput-Jodamba road is over and soon construction will start to connect and the survey for the road between Mukiput and Jamuguda will also start soon.
Agarwal said the package of Rs 100 crore will be utilised to change the face of the cut off region by ensuring development in key sectors like healthcare, communication, drinking water and electrification.
“We are also trying to provide better livelihood sources,” he added.

This is our plight every summer despite the Naveen Patnaik government’s tall claims and promises over the last 18 years, decried the villagers.
We are left high and dry every summer, they remarked in anger and disgust.
This figure is sent to the state secretariate and the CM is impressed during his review meetings without realising that the figures are either fudged or nothing has been done to connect the pipeline to the tank or the pump station does not work due to lack of electrical connection etc.
For instance, there are 23 pipe water supply projects in different panchayats of Naugaon block.
These are connected to the overhead water tank, but water is yet to be pumped to the overhead tank.
The sarpanch of Korua panchayat Mr Aranya Nayak said there are two pipe water projects in Garei and Dhunapada villages but the villagers of Dhanikhia do not get potable water as the pipeline is damaged and in the other there is no connection to the overhead water tank.
In Dabour panchayat, the pump has been defunct since one year and nothing has been done to repair it, resulting in water scarcity in Dabour, Mahanapari villagers.
Villagers of Kusupur, Baramunduli, Anantpur under Balikuda block have alleged that pipe water supply projects have been completed but these projects are not functioning as there is no power connection.
The piped water project at Sankheswer panchayat under Tirtol block has been defunct since six months.
The Executive Engineer, RWSS, Mr Chittaranjan Jena, said: “We have initiated steps for repair and restoration, but it must be understood that the panchayats are in charge of maintenance and repairing of tube wells and pipe water projects.” Ironically, the pre-summer, ritualistic annual line over the last 17 years of the CM has been repair and restoration of all tube wells and water supply lines must be done on war footing!

BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today asked the urban development department to ensure supply of pipe water to all families residing in towns and cities of the state by March 2019.
Besides, the chief minister also directed the department to take steps to increase the per capita use of drinking water to 70 litres in urban areas of the state by March 2019.
The chief minister gave the directions while reviewing the steps taken by the department to supply piped drinking water to residents in urban areas.
He asked the department to conduct a house to house survey in the urban areas of the state and identify families who have no pipe water facility.
According to official sources, 760 projects are being implemented in the state at a cost of `3,596 crore to supply drinking water in urban local bodies of Odisha.
Official sources said 422 areas in 24 urban localities in the state where there is water scarcity have been identified by the state government.
As many as 1,869 PVC tanks have been put up to store and supply drinking water.
Besides, 219 water tankers have also been engaged in these areas to provide water.
The department has also constituted ward level committees for proper management of drinking water supply.
A 24-hour control room has been set up to monitor water supply and swiftly address any complaints regarding delay and non-supply of water.

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Monday lambasted the State Government for making tall claims of achievements when many parts of the State have already started experiencing drinking water scarcity.
Criticising Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for making the Panchayati Raj Divas a party programme, leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo dared the former to provide a correct picture on the drinking water supply position in rural areas to the people during his interaction with them and elected representatives of panchayats.
Claiming that only two per cent of rural population has been covered under piped water supply in the last 18 years, Singhdeo said drinking water scarcity is being felt in many parts of the State especially in areas which received scanty rainfall during last monsoon.
With rising temperature, the situation will be more acute in the coming days.
Disputing the State Government’s achievement in rural housing sector, the former minister said the ruling BJD is making a false propaganda.
While the State Government is claiming to have constructed 11.5 lakh housing since 2014-15, this is the cumulative achievement of the last 10 years.
As per the State Government’s progress report, 9,73,273 houses have been constructed under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), 2,31,467 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural), 13,226 houses under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana and 2,392 houses under Niraman Shramika Pucca Ghar.
Of the total houses constructed till January 2018, over 3.17 lakh houses were built during the current year.
Claiming that the State Government has not made any budgetary provision for Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana this fiscal, Singhdeo sought to know from the Chief Minister about his government’s achievement under the State-funded housing scheme in 2017-18.He further alleged that selection of beneficiaries under rural housing scheme is made on party lines.

SONEPUR : Even four years after the foundation stone for drinking water project at Sonepur town was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the project is yet to see the light of day.
Although Sonepur town is surrounded on three sides by rivers Mahanadi and Tel, water scarcity is reported from Viveka Nagar, Ramji Nagar, Gokarneswar, Patabhadi, Kulapada, Spinning Mill Chowk, Gridco Colony and Shanti Nagar even during monsoon.
The town, which has a population of about 25,000, requires 3.7 Million Litres Per Day (MLD).
Sources said the drinking water supply in the town was initiated in the late 80’s from Dasmathi Ghat of the Mahanadi river.
However, with the overhead tank failing to meet the water requirement, a new drinking water project was initiated at an estimated cost of Rs five crore and the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for an overhead tank on February 8, 2013.
It is envisaged to draw water from an intake well at Gokarneswar Ghat and pump it to two overhead tanks for supply after filtration.
First, it took about a year to finalise the tender while the work on the overhead tanks at Patabhadi and MLA Pada is yet to be completed.
To compound the problem, the contractor has left the work halfway.
Similarly, roads have been dug up from Nalin Chowk to Circuit House and Jail Chowk to Patabhadi to lay pipelines of the project.
But the work remains incomplete.

"My government is attaching priority to the drinking water supply programme," said Naveen.
The chief minister directed the officials to make provisions for 100 per cent piped water supply in 112 urban local bodies on war footing.
At present, 79 per cent people in the urban areas are getting piped water.
Steps will be taken to receive public grievances through mobile phones.
About one per cent of 4.39 lakh-odd tube wells are lying defunct.
Repair of 463 defunct piped water supply projects are also going on.
On February 24, Naveen directed officials to complete maintenance of drinking water projects by March 31.
The extension officers were assigned to monitor water supply in every panchayat and asked to submit the report to block development offic-ers.
These are municipal corporations of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur and the municipalities in Puri, Baripada, Balasore and Bhadrak.
Mother who turned sleuth for son About an hour ago For close to two years, Lalita Devi fought and even played detective to get justice for her son Manoj Kumar, jailed on charges of killing his wife Rinki Kumari for dowry… | Read.. Axed Panda’s poser on CM About an hour ago Kendrapara MP Baijayant (Jay) Panda, who was removed as spokesperson of the BJD’s parliamentary party by Naveen Patnaik, today wondered whether the decision to remove him… | Read..