Dikhyaa Mohanty 
In order to improve interdepartmental coordination for the execution of Mega Piped Water Supply (PWS) Projects in Odisha, a high-level conference was conducted on Tuesday at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. The Development Commissioner-turned-Additional Chief Secretary presided over the conference, which sought to guarantee the prompt implementation of these projects by coordinating efforts and providing supervision across important agencies. Participating in the discussions were senior officials from a number of agencies, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Rural Development, Works, Forest & Environment, and Energy.
Ninety-nine of the 151 concerns and pending permissions that were reviewed at the conference were found to be addressed. The Development Commissioner called on the agencies involved to step up their efforts and prioritize resolving the outstanding concerns. Within 15 days, there will be a follow-up review meeting to evaluate progress, and in a month, the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Drinking Water Supply will meet again to make sure that any unresolved concerns have been addressed.
The meeting also discussed the importance of timely forest clearances and decided to convene a dedicated meeting to review forest clearance-related issues. Additionally, the issue of encroachments along National Highways affecting pipeline and other utility works was discussed, and an assessment will be conducted to evaluate the extent of such encroachments.
