Kendrapara: Public resentment is brewing with the administration's dilly-dallying over making operational the Early Warning Dissemination System in the district.

Though the towers have been installed at cyclone-prone pockets of Kendrapara, they are yet to become operational. Once operational, these towers will come in handy in seaside pockets of the district that are prone to devastations by cyclones and tsunamis with the strengthening of early warning mechanism.

"Twenty-two siren towers have already been installed in vulnerable seaside pockets of Rajnagar and Mahakalpada tehsils. It was scheduled to be commissioned in January. However, none of the towers have become functional for factors beyond our control," said block nodal officer Sangram Beura.

"We are expecting its commissioning within a month. There will be a trial run shortly before the towers are commissioned," the official said.

"The siren-warning project is coming up with World Bank assistance. The towers will have automatic public address systems to alert people in advance of natural disasters. It will help save lives and properties in the face of cyclones or tsunamis."

However, the officials claim did little to allay fears of local residents.

"The district administration announced its functioning in January. Though nine months have elapsed since their installation, the project is to yet to start. Low pressure and cyclonic weather is a perennial feature in these parts. People live in constant panic. The authorities need to initiate steps for the commissioning of the towers without further delay," said former Ramnagar gram panchayat sarpanch Bijoy Shukla.

The district has been ravaged by cyclones and tsunamis several times. Sixty-four coastal pockets in the district have been identified as tsunami-prone areas. The district had borne the brunt of a severe cyclone in October 1999 when nature's fury claimed more than 300 lives and triggered huge loss of property.

"Alarm from the towers can be heard in localities within a 1.5km radius. Twenty-two towers in Rajnagar and Mahakalpada blocks are nearing completion and are likely to be commissioned on January 15," said a district official.

The siren system will cover tourist places, fish landing centres and coastal habitations. Once the alarm is sounded, people will start moving to safer places before government agencies start evacuation.

Odisha is the first state to have developed automatic public address systems that can be activated along its entire coast. Neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is also building such systems to face natural calamities, said a top official of the revenue and disaster management department.