Bhubaneswar, July 2: The Odisha government has stepped up efforts to strengthen its disaster preparedness by expediting the installation of four Doppler weather radars and enhancing critical disaster management infrastructure across the state.

During a high-level review meeting on Thursday, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari directed officials to complete the installation of Doppler weather radars at Balasore, Bhubaneswar and Puri within the current year. The initiative is aimed at improving weather forecasting, early warning capabilities and overall disaster response.

Emphasising the importance of a resilient disaster management system, the Minister instructed officials to accelerate infrastructure projects and assured them that adequate financial resources and administrative support would be made available for timely implementation.

The meeting reviewed the expenditure plan under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), with Pujari directing officials to prioritise projects financed through the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF). He urged departments to complete these projects ahead of schedule to enhance the state's disaster resilience.

Officials also assessed fund allocations across departments and reviewed the progress of ongoing disaster mitigation projects.

Focusing on flood and cyclone preparedness, the Minister instructed authorities to identify suitable locations for Multipurpose Flood and Cyclone Centres across various districts without delay. He also stressed the need for close inter-departmental coordination to ensure the timely execution of these facilities.

The review meeting also examined the state's preparedness for the potential effects of El Niño. Officials were directed to work closely with the Water Resources Department to maximise the use of reservoirs, irrigation projects and water storage systems to support agricultural water requirements.

In addition, Pujari asked officials to complete the proposed Heat Wave Centres in vulnerable districts and make them operational before the onset of the next summer season, further strengthening Odisha's capacity to tackle extreme weather events.