
BHUBANESWAR: Call it administrative inefficiency or laxity, the Odisha government has failed to utilise more than Rs 2,100 crore allocated for disaster mitigation and response activities in the state as per the recommendation of 15th Finance Commission.
Even as the period of the Commission will expire at the end of 2025-26 financial year, sources said, around Rs 1,420 crore under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and Rs 689 crore under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) have remained unspent by December as the state government has failed to effectively deploy these resources.
Among the top five states receiving disaster management funds, Odisha has been allocated more than Rs 6,700 crore so far out of the recommended amount of Rs 8,865 crore during the 2021-26 period.
Odisha, a state regularly ravaged by natural calamities such as cyclones, floods and droughts, desperately needs proactive disaster preparedness and mitigation measures. The unspent funds could have been directed towards essential projects like strengthening cyclone and flood shelters which continue to remain in dilapidated conditions rendering them ineffective during disasters.
Besides upgrading early warning systems, enhancing meteorological and warning infrastructure, the government could have implemented projects for improving urban and rural drainage systems and focused on capacity-building of local communities and first responders, who are crucial for minimising disaster impact.
Sources said several proposals sent by the departments like Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water (PR&DW), Rural Development, Housing and Urban development have been pending for approval for months due to various reasons including delay in scrutiny, violation of guidelines and cost escalation.
A proposal of Rural Works for construction of flood-resilient roads amounting to Rs 254 crore has been returned with a suggestion to be reviewed once again and submitted after necessary revision adhering to guidelines of SDMF. Another proposal of PR&DW department amounting to around Rs 20.14 crore for drought proofing of 20 blocks in Balangir, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts is pending as the proposal includes mostly construction of check dams and lacks cost benefit analysis.
Meanwhile, the state government has directed the departments for immediate utilisation of the funds already provided and submit utilisation certificates at the earliest. “All departments have also been asked to submit proposals by following the national guidelines properly for mitigation and capacity building activities by the end of this month,” said an official of the Revenue and Disaster Management department.