Balasore, March 26: As part of preparations for a missile trial scheduled on March 26 (Wednesday) at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, authorities are evacuating residents from villages within a 2.5 km radius for safety. The missile launch will take place from Launch Complex 3, located at the DRDO base in Chandipur.
A meeting chaired by District Collector S Mayur Vikash outlined the evacuation plan, which will affect approximately 3,200 people from six villages. The evacuees will be moved to three temporary shelters for the duration of the missile testing.
The residents of Jaydevkasaba Pahi and Sahajannagar Pahi, totaling around 1,150 people, will be sheltered at the Jaydev Kasaba multipurpose cyclone center. Another 1,135 people from Khadu Pahi and Kusumuli Pahi will be relocated to the Khadu cyclone center, while 915 residents from Bhimpur Pahi and Tundra Pahi will move to the Bhimpur multipurpose cyclone center.
Public announcements have informed residents about the evacuation process, which will begin at 6 a.m. The evacuees will be provided with breakfast, lunch, and monetary compensation, which will be transferred to eligible individuals’ bank accounts by 11 a.m.
Around 100 district officials have been deployed to oversee the smooth execution of the evacuation. Authorities have urged residents to cooperate for a safe and efficient process.
Key officials, including Superintendent of Police Raj Prasad, Additional District Magistrate Sudhakar Nayak, Nilgiri Sub-Collector Subhashree Rath, and Balasore Sub-Collector Madhusmita Samantaray, were present during the meeting to finalize the evacuation details.