Mitigating KBK summer woes

Expressbuzz, March 14, 2010
BHUBANESWAR: As the summer peaks, the most affected region in Orissa is the KBK region, a major portion of which lies on the dry plate. Add to it the problems of water scarcity and inadequate power availability even as the State passes through a crisis. The State Government seems to have woken up to the problem now and has asked for more number of deep bore wells in the region and expedited completion of the power projects. The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in Bhawanipatna was asked to create more water storage space and deep bore wells to meet the demands of water supply. If necessary, separate feeder lines could be drawn and the PHED can also use gen sets for this purpose. The OPTCL has been asked to wrap up the 220/132/33 KV Balangir substation as well the 220 KV Burla-Balangir line by Aprilend. Since 10 more deep bore wells are planned in Balangir, the Wesco has been directed to ensure smooth supply of water. Similarly, instructions have been issued to complete Kesinga grid substation by installing the necessary number of transformers. Energy Minister Atanau Sabyasachi chaired a meeting in this regard where Public Enterprises Minister AU Singh Deo was present.