Other States - Orissa

Proposed hi-tech lab hits a roadblock

BHUBANESWAR: The state-of-the-art high-security laboratory on foot and mouth proposed by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) at Jatni on the outskirts of capital city has hit a roadblock with State government unable to facilitate connectivity to the piece of land.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, ICAR Director General Mangala Rai said there was neither a proper road communication to the land identified for the laboratory nor was their 24-hour power supply facility.

ICAR had already proposed Rs. 43 crore to set up the centre which would be one of its kinds in South East Asia, Mr. Rai said. To know the status of land for the purpose, the ICAR DG had to take cumbersome journey to reach the spot near Jatni on Thursday evening. “I don’t have any problem if the place is situated in remote villages. Only thing I wanted was a good road communication and uninterrupted power supply,” he said. The laboratory will have bio- safety level facilities, which would work for proper control and containment of virulent, pathogenic and mutagenic foot and mouth disease viruses. Foot and mouth disease has a far-reaching impact on the Indian agriculture and animal husbandry, as it is prevalent in all parts of the country and occurs round the year.

The land measuring just over 100 acre was identified for the laboratory, 12 km from National Highway.

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