Bhubaneswar: Appreciating significant outcome of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) Phase-1 activities in Odisha, the World Bank has offered its support for extension of the project in the state.
This was revealed at a high level meeting presided over by chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi at the State Secretariat here today in the presence of three-member expert team of World Bank led by Paula Caballero, senior director, Environment & Natural Resources Global Practice of World Bank, state principal secretary, Forest and Environment, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and Project Director ICZM Dr Ajit Kumar Patnaik and other senior officials.
Stating that the outcome of the ICZMP interventions taken up during Phase-I in Odisha has been quite impressive and encouraging, Chaballero offered to extend further World Bank support for the interventions like capacity building, scientific management of fishery resources, eco-management in costal industrial sites like Paradip.
The chief secretary said the state would like to have World Bank support in development of the infrastructure for fishery, eco-tourism and livelihood promotion activities.
In the Phase-I near about 180 kms of coastal area has been covered under the project. The state government has proposed to extend the project to other 300 kms of coastal zone in the second phase. The Phase-II proposal has been submitted to the Centre, the sanction of which is awaited.
Available data shows, the Phase-I project period has been scheduled up to 2017 with a revised financial outlay of Rs 334 crore. The major interventions taken up in the project include strengthening of Wetland Research and Training Centre at Chilika, protection measures for control of coastal erosion at Pentha in Kendrapara district, conservation of biodiversity and livelihood security through eco-tourism, alternative livelihood for costal fishermen, development of participatory ecotourism at Chilika and Tampara, establishment of Coastal Mitigation Laboratory at Paradip, solid waste management project at Paradip, construction of multipurpose cyclone centres along the coastlines, conservation and improvement of coastal archaeological and cultural assets, regional coastal process study and coir training–cum-production centre along Chilika coast and livelihood enhancement support to people through SHGs etc.
The annual action plan of Rs 7853.91 lakh has been prepared for 2015-16 fiscal.
Prior to the meeting, the World Bank team leader Paula Caballero and other two members—Kseniya Lvosky and A Ramkrishna—held discussions with the chief secretary after vesting project areas during its two day visit to the state.