Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The ex-gratia payment of Rs. 10 lakh will be made to the family of the little girl who died from her injuries after becoming entangled in the massive drainage pipes of the JICA box drain project in the city’s Kesharpur neighborhood, according to an announcement made today by Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh. “We have announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to be paid to the family of the deceased minor girl after holding discussions at a high-level meeting here,” said Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh addressing reporters.
In order to prevent such occurrences from happening in the future, Singh stated that the Commissioner of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has been given the go-ahead to undertake an investigation into the regrettable incident. He declared that anybody found guilty of violations will face harsh punishment.
“We approved a resolution requiring the agencies responsible to repair signage within three days and install barricades within seven days wherever there is a risk to life during development activity, including the Taladanda Canal, WATCO, JICA, Box Drain Project, power, etc. They will inform us, and we will take strict measures whenever we discover any carelessness, the mayor of Cuttack said.
He continued by saying that while development projects will be carried out, the inhabitants’ safety and security would always come first. According to Singh, representatives from the district administration, police administration, JICA, WATCO, the box drain project, and the heads of the several Engineering divisions all attended the high-level discussion on safety and security.
