The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Poor water management has made Orissa victim of drought and floods”

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Monday, Apr 06, 2009
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Poor water management has made Orissa victim of drought and floods”

Staff Reporter

Utkal Dibasa, the day commemorating formation of Orissa, held

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

GLORY OF ORISSA: Former Governor of Orissa M.M. Rajendran launches a souvenir of Utkal Association of Madras for Utkal Dibasa, in Chennai on Sunday. Tamil Nadu Transport Secretary Debendra Nath Sarangi (left) and the Association president Khirod Kumar Jena are in the picture.

CHENNAI: The need to build small reservoirs and dams across Orissa to preserve its water resource, most of which is now wasted in the absence of proper management, was highlighted by former Governor of Orissa M.M. Rajendran here on Sunday.

Speaking at a function organised to mark the Utkal Dibasa, the day commemorating the formation of Orissa, he said it was the first linguistic State to be formed in the country. Hospitality and valour were inextricably bound to the culture of Orissa and the State was rich with natural and human resources. Odissi, dance form of the Orissa, was almost lost before Independence but revived after the Union Government classified it as a classical dance form.

According to Mr.Rajendran, over 80 per cent of water was drained into sea owing to lack of reservoirs in the State. Poor water management has made the State a victim of drought and floods.

With majority of its population depending on agriculture, sustainable water management would go a long way in bolstering the State’s economy. The State had rich tourism potential and its unique historical and geographical features must be highlighted to attract more tourists, he said.

Tamil Nadu Transport Secretary Debendra Nath Sarangi said Orissa must focus on improving the female literacy rate and provision of quality education must be its prime focus. He suggested that the Orissa government encourage entrepreneurial talents in the State by drafting innovative schemes with support from the Orissa diaspora spread across the country. He spoke on the richness of Orissa’s cultural and literary history, urging the Oriya population to rediscover the past and preserve it for posterity.

At the function, organised by the Utkal Association of Madras, bureaucrats from Orissa were felicitated. Odissi and Sambalpuri dances were performed as part of the event. The Association president Khirod Kumar Jena spoke.

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