BHUBANESWAR: Odisha continued to be the top performer in implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Scheme (AMRUT) by making significant strides in providing piped water supply to households in urban areas of the State.
According to the ranking of the states released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Odisha has secured first position by scoring 85.67 per cent. Nine cities of the State - Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Baripada, Balasore, Bhadrak, Berhampur and Puri - are covered under the scheme.
Out of the 191 projects started under the AMRUT scheme, 148 have been completed. Rest of the projects will be completed by March 2021.
Official sources maintained that 2400 km of pipeline laying and replacement work has been completed till date in Odisha. There has also been substantial growth in the number of household connections for water supply. More than 1.23 lakh connections have been provided in the nine cities covered by AMRUT.
Odisha is followed by Chandigarh, Telangana, Gujarat and Karnataka in the implementation of AMRUT.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the Housing and Urban Development department for retaining the top position. “Building durable urban infrastructure and amenities is a priority to make cities economically vibrant, sustainable, cleaner, smarter and livable”, he tweeted.