Fluoride-affected Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur get Rs 360 crore for water project

Bhubaneswar: The state cabinet on Wednesday approved two Rural Piped Water Supply Projects worth Rs 360.60 crore for the fluoride-affected villages in Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.

The drinking water projects are expected to benefit over 4.22 lakh people of 473 villages in two blocks (Baramba and Narasinghpur) of Cuttack and three blocks (Balikuda, Nuagaon and Erasama) in Jagatsinghpur districts, informed chief secretary A P Padhi.

The two projects, will be executed by the Chennai-based Larsen and Toubro Limited, and implemented within a period of 24 months.

Besides, the state government has identified a total of 691 mining affected villages and assured to provide housing, drinking water connectivity, health and nutrition facilities on pilot basis.

It has also decided to take up four Mega Rural Piped Water Supply Projects for as many as 293 mining affected villages of Jajpur, Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts.

Earlier on February 8, the state cabinet had approved five drinking water projects worth Rs 370 crore for 217 fluoride-affected villages in Nuapada district.