Rourkela: The Sundargarh administration has approved 675 projects for nine gram panchayats under the mining-affected Koira block of the district.
The projects include road connectivity, drinking water, pond renovation, irrigation, education, health, electrification and street lights, construction of Anganwadi centres, truck parking bay and development of tourism sites. The District Mineral Foundation (DMF), Sundargarh, will financially support these projects to be implemented in Patmunda, Malda, Kashira, Koira, Kalta, Dengula, Tensa, Gopana and Bimlagarh gram panchayats.
Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan has directed the district level officials of various departments to initiate the process for the work immediately.
Besides, land rights were distributed to 17 families under the Vasundhara Scheme during a joint public hearing chaired by the collector and attended by senior officials of the district on Monday in Koira block.
“Public and community participation is given priority while planning and implementing various welfare and development initiatives in Sundargarh district. We are thus strengthening the process of aggregating the ideas and requirements of people and validating them through the Gram Sabhas. We are glad to plan these many projects for the benefit of the people of Koira,” the collector said.
He further informed that Govt ITI Koira, classes and hostel will function from the academic year 2022-23. Water and electric supply will be regularized in the area while the postmortem room will function at Koira soon, he added.
During the visit, the collector also inaugurated the modern creche ‘Kalika’ at Bhanjpali. The ‘Kalika’ initiative aims to provide daycare and nutrition for the young children of daily wagers and working women in the area. Six such centres were opened in Koira block on Monday. With support from DMF, 90 ‘Kalika’ centres are being established in the 1st phase in six mining-affected blocks of the district.
Bonai MLA Laxman Munda, Project Director District Rural Development Agency Bhairab Singh Patel, Bonai Sub-Collector Pradeep Dang, Project Administrator Integrated Tribal Development Agency, Bonai, Lalat Kumar Luha, Chairman Panchayat Samiti Koira Suresh Naik, Deputy Collector (Emergency) Kunti Rani Naik, Addl SP, Bonai, Syed Mujibur Rehman, District Social Welfare Officer Prabasini Chakra, District Education Officer Amulya Kumar Padhan, Koira Tehsildar DS Subhadarshi Joshi, BDO Pallabi Rani Raj, DMF Consultant Munmun Das Mohapatra and other officials were present.
