BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday dedicated the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at CDA Sector- 1 to the people of Cuttack. Inaugurating the project, the Chief Minister said the plant would help in improving the environment of the Millennium City. Stating that clean, beautiful and calm environment enhances glory of a city, he said the step was taken for improvement of drainage and sanitation system of Cuttack through Rs 3,000 crore JICA-funded Odisha Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project (OISIP). He also sought public support for its successful implementation. Constructed by Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) at an estimated cost of Rs110 crore, the STP has a capacity of treating 36 million litres of sewage per day.
The plant is a part of JICA-assisted OISIP which aims at improving the sewerage and drainage facility and benefiting around 11 lakh population of the city in the next 30 years. With the inauguration of the project, services of STP are being made available from Wednesday in the areas between Mahanadi Ring Road and Kathajodi Ring Road, including Bidanasi to Mangalabag, Friends Colony, Jhola Sahi and Purighat. As per reports, the waste water of the city was mostly discharged into Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers thereby polluting the waters. Now, the waste water collected through sewerage system will be released into the rivers by improving its quality through the STP. While more than 275 km of sewage pipeline network has been laid, a drainage pumping station at Police Colony with a discharge capacity of 72 lakh litres per hour has been completed, officials said.
Stone laid for Urdu varsity off campus
The Chief Minister also laid foundation stone for establishment of regional centre of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) at CDA Sector-13. The proposed centre will offer polytechnic and ITI courses in the first phase. The Chief Minister said the State Government has consistently promoted technical education among the minorities and backward classes. Stating that education empowers and enables people to serve the society in a meaningful way, Naveen said his Government has taken up skill development in a big way by establishing the Odisha Skill Development Authority to provide overall direction for skill development programmes in different sectors. “Our objective is to make Skilledin- Odisha a global brand and we have forged partnership with ITEES, Singapore to provide world class skill to our children. The ITIs are at the core of our skill-eco-system where students aspire to be the best in the world,” he added.