Keonjhar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Anandpur barrage across Baitarani river here on Friday.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 475 crore, the 490-meter-long barrage will provide proper irrigation facilities to farmlands in Keonjhar and Balasore districts.
It has a capacity to hold 350 lakh cubic meter of water and can irrigate around 60,000 hectares of farmlands in these two districts. Anandpur, Hatadihi and Ghasipura blocks of Keonjhar district and Khaira, Oupada, Nilagiri, Bahanaga, Balasore Sadar, Remuna and Soro blocks of Balasore district will greatly benefit from this project.
Keonjhar MP Chandrani Murmu, Balikuda-Ersama MLA Raghunandan Das and Ghasipura MLA Badri Narayan Patra were present at the event.
Naveen later attended the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of BN High School at Anandapur.
He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of different developmental projects in the district and distributed assistance to beneficiaries under various welfare schemes.
Seven DSPs, 17 inspectors, 40 SIs, 72 ASIs, 75 constables, 180 home guards and seven platoons of police forces were pressed into service to maintain law and order during the CM’s visit.
