The tenth finance commission has sanctioned the amount as special problem grant for preservation of the lake and is being used for a multi-pronged action plan, the chief minister said.

The government, he said, has taken a policy decision not to locate any polluting industry in and around the vast lagoon, while steps were being initiated to stop expansion of agricultural land along the lake's periphery.

Besides, the administration was taking strong measures to remove all prawn bheries, he said.

Patnaik said among the measures taken to revive Chilka are treatment of catchment areas, diversion of early monsoon flow of July and August in the Mahanadi arm of Mahanadi river system, desiltation of outer channel of the lake linking it with the sea to improve water exchange and salinitygradient through dredging.

Improvement of Nalaban Bird Sanctuary and uplift of the socio-economic condition of the inhabitants of villages located on the lake's fringes are the other measures, he said.