BHUBANESWAR: The state government has planned to permanently shift people residing in villages located in high-risk hilltop and foothill areas to safer places in plains, in wake of the massive landslides triggered by cyclone Arnab.
Speaking to mediapersons on Wednesday, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said survey was underway to identify such vulnerable habitations, with focus on Gajapati and Kandhamal, which have seen maximum landslide vulnerability.
Gajapati alone has around 150 landslide-prone spots, the minister said, stressing need for long-term structural solution rather than temporary relief.
He said the families willing to shift will be given houses in plain areas under state welfare housing schemes meant for rural families who are not covered under central housing programmes. “They will be rehabilitated as per their own choice,” Pujari added.
To prepare better mitigation plans for hill districts, an official team from Odisha recently visited north-eastern states to study anti-landslide measures and protection structures adopted there.