Berhampur: Tardy pace of the Ghatkeswar multipurpose irrigation project work in Ganjam district has escalated its cost by over 17 times, a report said.
According to sources, the then Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the project in tribal-dominated Kankia-Tamana area under Berhampur sub-division in 1987. Though 35 years have passed, the project is yet to see light of the day. Its initial cost was estimated at Rs 10 crore, but it has now escalated to Rs 172 crore – over 17 times of the original estimate.
Notably, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, 5T Secretary VK Pandian, additional chief secretary of the Water Resources department Anu Garg visited the spot and took stock of the progress of the project about a week ago. The review revealed the whopping cost overrun.
The delay in the construction work is attributed to the delay in granting of environmental clearance by the Union Forest and Environment Ministry.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of the project again during his the third term. Initially, displacement posed a setback for the project. People of Sarakote and other tribal villages faced issues of displacement and rehabilitation. The government resolved the issues in a phase manner.
The work gathered pace since 2020 and the government has set a target to complete the project by December, 2022. The Chief Secretary had directed the construction agency to expedite the work. The dam is being constructed across Ghadaka creek near Kankia-Tamana under Kukudakhandi block of Digapahandi assembly constituency. After completion of the project, it would irrigate 500 acres of land in Kukudakhandi and Rangeilunda blocks, apart from providing drinking water to 75,000 people of Gosaninuagaon area. The Water Resources department is executing the project.
It was in the first week of July 2019 when the project was reviewed for the first time at a meeting presided over by then revenue divisional commissioner (southern range) Chandrasekhar Kumar in the presence of then Ganjam Collector VK Pandian, and MLAs of Khallikote, Chhatrapur, Gopalpur and Berhampur. A decision was taken to adequately compensate the land losers and the displaced along with their proper rehabilitation.
Several other projects like Baghua, Baghalati and others have remained incomplete with their costs escalating over the years.