Bhubaneswar, December 22: After a gap of nine years, the 27th Board Meeting of the Odisha Water Supply & Sewerage Board (OWSSB) was held on Monday under the chairmanship of Housing & Urban Development Minister Dr Krushna Chandra Mohapatra. The Board meeting of the OWSSB was last held in 2016.

The Board has been reconstituted in October 2025 as part of the State Government’s concerted efforts to revive, strengthen and enhance the institutional effectiveness of OWSSB in line with the growing urban water supply and sewerage management requirements of the State.

H&UD Department Principal Secretary and Board Vice-Chairperson Usha Padhee was present and led the detailed deliberations.

The meeting was attended by senior officials including the Additional Secretary, Finance-cum-Director, Institutional Finance; Chairpersons of Keonjhar and Dhenkanal Municipalities and Kodala NAC as Ex-Officio Members; non-official members Tapan Kumar Chand, Ex-CMD, NALCO, and Er. Ratindra Narayana Mallick, Ex-EIC, PHEO, the Managing Director, WATCO and Engineer-in-Chief, OWSSB as the Member Convenor.

Around 24 agenda items covering important administrative, financial and technical matters were discussed in detail and decisions were taken.

The Board reviewed and confirmed the minutes of the previous Board Meeting, ratified the payment of gratuity to three Daily Labour Roll (DLR) employees, and approved an enhancement of Rs 200 in the special incentive for DLRs working in OWSSB. Other agenda items aimed at improving organisational efficiency and service delivery were also deliberated upon.

To address key administrative and technical issues in a comprehensive manner, the Board decided to constitute a committee to examine the relevant proposals and submit its recommendations for further course of action.

The Board emphasised the importance of holding Board Meetings on a regular basis to ensure effective governance, timely decision-making and improved overall functioning of OWSSB in the larger public interest.