Orissa govt seeks Japanese aid

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

The Orissa government is seeking financial aid from Japan to kick-start its proposed disaster mitigation programme, which consists of forest development projects and construction of a coastal highway.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has requested Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to persuade his Japanese counterpart to extend financial assistance to Orissa. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is on a five-day visit to India.

In a letter to the Indian prime minister, Patnaik has said that the coastal highway project is an integral part of Orissa's long-term disaster mitigation programme. The state government has submitted a proposal to the Union surface transport ministry for the construction of a 570-km coastal highway along the Bay of Bengal from Gopalpur to Digha in West Bengal.

The proposed highway will serve as a bulwark against the tidal action of the sea. It will also help promote tourism along the coastline, Patnaik said in the letter.

The tentative cost of the highway project has been estimated at Rs 9 billion.

Patnaik said that since the project of this dimension needs external assistance, Vajpayee should take up the issue with the visiting Japanese prime minister.

Patnaik said that the Orissa government has also submitted a proposal of Rs 33.66 billion for its forest development project to the Union forest and environment ministry. This project is aimed at fighting natural calamities like floods in coastal Orissa.

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