Odisha Water Resources Dept Calls for Timely Projects, Efficient Fund Use

21 Aug 2026, 13:33 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

The Odisha Water Resources Department has reviewed the progress of ongoing projects and departmental spending, with Principal Secretary Shubha Sharma calling for faster execution and more effective use of available funds during the financial year.

The review meeting brought together senior departmental officials, including Chief Engineer Dillip Kumar Rout, senior engineers and other officers. Discussions centred on irrigation, drainage, dam, barrage and canal works being implemented across the state.

Officials were asked to clear implementation bottlenecks by speeding up tender finalisation, issuing work orders without unnecessary delay and settling pending approvals and EFC proposals. The department also stressed the need for more realistic cost estimates before funds are committed to projects.

Shubha Sharma said departmental expenditure should be judged by the results it produces rather than simply by whether spending targets have been met. The focus, accordingly, was placed on finishing projects already under way, increasing irrigation potential and improving water-resource infrastructure so that expenditure translates into tangible benefits for people.

The meeting also examined the department’s approach to revenue collection and digital monitoring. A presentation was made on the PM Gati Shakti portal, followed by discussions on improving water-rate collection and strengthening the portal’s monitoring and management capabilities.

Officials were encouraged to make greater use of digital systems to improve transparency and administrative efficiency.

Fund utilisation was another central concern. The department emphasised that available allocations should be invested productively within the financial year, with expenditure linked to realistic project costs and measurable outcomes rather than merely meeting prescribed targets.

The review also covered Odisha’s nomination for the National Water Awards, placing the state’s ongoing water-management efforts in the wider context of sustainable use and development of water resources.

The department’s emphasis on project completion, irrigation expansion, financial discipline and digital monitoring comes as Odisha continues to advance infrastructure across its water-resource network.