Bhubaneswar: 441 junior engineers join water resources dept

Bhubaneswar: A total of 441 junior engineers (civil) joined the Water Resources department at a Nijukti Parva here.

Addressing the newly recruited engineers, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called upon them to follow the 5T (transformational) initiative. He said following the introduction of the 5T initiative, several irrigation projects have gained pace with the application of modern technology.

The Chief Minister urged engineers to keep themselves updated in new technologies and bring innovative solutions to challenging issues.

‘’Now that you are in public service, your sole responsibility is to serve the people with utmost transparency, sincerity and commitment. Our every action has a direct impact on the lives of people. We must be sensitive to the needs and aspirations of people and do our best to serve them,’’ Naveen said.

Noting that Water Resources department is a critical wing of the State government that looks after a multitude of development works, Naveen said engineers should take up various projects including provision of irrigation facilities to farmlands, protection from floods and resource development for drinking water, industries, fisheries and other life-changing activities.

He said the State has more than 4,000 dams and several others are under construction. This apart, the State has taken up construction of 30 in-stream storage structures in the first phase and another 41 will be constructed in second and third phases.

These projects will help in water conservation, rural water supply and help improve the groundwater level, which is emerging as a critical environmental issue everywhere.