Naveen opens 100 drinking water projects through video conferencing

BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched 100 piped water projects through video conferencing from a special function organised at the state secretariat. Around two lakh people in for 46 urban areas will benefit due to the projects, official sources said.
Naveen also inaugurated the city bus service for Jeypore-Koraput-Sunabeda cluster and eight more Aahar centres on the occasion, taking the total Aahar outlets to 110.
The new Aahar centres have come up at Konark, Udala, Nilagiri, Patamundai, Karanjia, Anandapur, Kamakhayanagar and Chandikhol. The new aahar centres were opened inside hospital premises, near bus stands. The state government provides rice and dal at Rs 5 under the Aahar scheme.
"These 110 Aahar centres provide 66.65 lakh cooked meals to people on a daily basis. Though the scheme was initially launched in five municipal corporations, it has extended to all districts," said an officer of the housing and urban development department.
The state government constitutes a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to operate the city buses in tribal-dominated Koraput district. Initially, 20 buses with CCTV surveillance system would ply through Jeypore-Koraput-Sunabeda route. "It would improve the inter-city connectivity in the tribal-dominated Koraput district," said chief minister Naveen Patnaik.