Bhubaneshwar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated 182 drinking water supply projects and laid foundation for 555 similar schemes.

Patnaik launched the projects for the urban poor people through video conferencing at an indoor stadium in Cuttack.

“This will give cent per cent pipe water coverage to every street, every habitation and every house of all the 113 urban local bodies (ULBs) of our state,” Patnaik said after inaugurating the projects.

The projects were built at a cost of Rs 157 crore.

Patnaik also laid foundation of 555 new drinking water projects which would cater to the needs of the people under 101 ULBs in the state at a cost of Rs 783 crore.

Though the state was earlier dependent on neighbouring states for water testing, now they would get it done with new testing laboratories in six cities of the state which were also inaugurated by the chief minister.

The new testing labs will be functional at Cuttack, Puri Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Baripada