Bhubaneswar, March 18 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, convened a meeting on Tuesday, urging all departments to aim for a ‘zero casualty’ target in light of this summer's heatwave.

During a high-level assessment at Lok Seva Bhawan, Majhi instructed officials to ensure that preventive strategies are robustly implemented throughout the state to alleviate the adverse effects of extreme heat.

The CM evaluated the state's readiness for the forthcoming heatwave during the meeting with all District Collectors and senior officials from various departments in attendance.

Noting that the heatwave has arrived sooner than anticipated this year, the Chief Minister emphasized the necessity for proactive measures to avert casualties and lessen its effects. He directed officials to execute the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for heatwave management and encouraged District Collectors to take additional actions beyond the SOP as required.

Chief Minister Majhi has ordered that school hours be shifted to the morning and that an SOP regarding this be issued promptly. He also instructed the launch of extensive awareness campaigns through television, radio, newspapers, and social media to inform the public about heatwave precautions.

Officials have been tasked with establishing temporary shelters and drinking water kiosks at traffic intersections and bus stations in both urban and rural settings. The Panchayati Raj Department has sanctioned over 17,000 tube wells statewide. District Collectors are to ensure the installation and repair of all tube wells within one week to prevent water shortages.

A press release from the state government stated that areas suffering from severe drinking water shortages should be identified, and immediate arrangements for borewells and tube wells should be initiated.

During the meeting, CM Majhi directed relevant departments to prohibit outdoor labor from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to safeguard workers from extreme heat exposure during peak hours. He mandated that no power outages occur between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. to provide relief during the hottest times.

The Energy Department was tasked during the review meeting with ensuring readiness against thunderstorms to prevent electricity interruptions. Due to the heightened risk of wildfires in rural areas during the summer, the Fire Department has been ordered to remain alert.

It was decided that state government officials would be dispatched to affected regions, and District Collectors would personally oversee heatwave mitigation initiatives. The state government has also opted to conduct grievance hearings at the district level during morning hours (7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.) to ensure that citizens' concerns are promptly addressed.