Authorities Convene Key Planning Session for Revival and Beautification of Damayanti Sagar

Kotpad, April 23 : Local residents of Kotpad have repeatedly demanded the restoration of the historic Damayanti Sagar. During the previous BJD government, it was announced that the lake would be restored under the “Mo Pokhari” scheme, but the work could not be completed. Now, after the BJP government has come to power, the restoration process has begun.
In the first phase, a preliminary preparatory meeting was organized by the Kotpad NAC as per the direction of District Collector Manoj Mahajan, where opinions of local residents were gathered. The meeting, chaired by NAC Executive Officer Kamalesh Mahant, was attended by MLA Rupu Bhatra, NAC Vice-Chairperson M. Santoshi, MP representative Pradeep Rath, Rameshwar Jena, Binayak Acharya, former councillor Pankaj Kumar Patra, Ganesh Chandra Panda, retired Additional Tehsildar Manoj Mahanti, Bar Association President Mani Prasad Pattnaik, senior citizens’ forum members Narasingha Behera, Gaur Rath, Ashok Pattnaik, Gauri Pattnaik, councillors Ashok Mallik and Parameswari Behera, along with Syed Yusuf, Himadri Mali, Rehman Khan, Ishwar Rao, Munna Khan and many other prominent individuals, who shared their views.
It was emphasized that the officially recorded land of Damayanti Sagar should be properly identified, the accumulated silt should be completely removed, and beautification of the lake should be prioritized. The MLA assured that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) would be submitted to the state government and that priority would be given to implement the restoration work at the earliest. It was also discussed that more such meetings would be organized in the future to gather further opinions and suggestions if required.