Odisha Minister reviews road restoration after Cyclone Arnab
Minister Prithviraj Harichandan called for disaster-resilient infrastructure to combat climate change threats like flash floods and landslides.
Odisha Minister for Law, Works, and Excise Prithviraj Harichandan chaired a high-level meeting at the Lok Seva Bhawan conference hall on Monday to assess road damage and restoration progress following Cyclone Arnab, according to Pragativadi.
The meeting focused on the damage to road infrastructure and the need for permanent, disaster-resilient roads to address threats from landslides and flash floods caused by climate change.
Officials reported that out of 12 severely damaged road links on highways NH-59, NH-157, and NH-326, restoration work on 10 has been completed, with the remaining two expected to be finished within 48 hours.
The discussions included the status of roads under the NH Division and several other divisions, including Kandhamal, Paralakhemundi, Ganjam, Gajapati, Phulbani, Bhanjanagar, Koraput, Malkangiri, and Jeypore.
Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh thanked engineers and departmental officials for the swift execution of repairs and for normalising transport and communication networks in record time.
To assist with future disaster management, the department decided to record all post-cyclone restoration activities through video documentation and publish them in a reference booklet.