Kendrapara: About 32 years ago, Chitrotpala irrigation project had been taken up with an aim of providing irrigation to 19,542 hectares of farmland in Garadpur, Marshaghai and Mahakalapara block in Kendrapara district and in Tirtol block of Jagatsinghpur district.
Then, the project had kindled hopes of agricultural growth for farmers of over 300 villages under these four blocks. Unfortunately enough, their dream is yet to be realised.
According to reports, 32 years after its inception, the project work is nowhere near completion while its cost has escalated to 10 times of its original cost estimate in two decades.
The project was initially estimated at only 39.94 crore in 1989, but its cost galloped to Rs 395.46 crore in 2012. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had set a deadline for the project at 2019.
Since then, the work has been lying undone. Local farmers and residents have held the local leaders and administrative officials responsible for such apathy plaguing the project.
Sribatsa Samal, a farmer of Marshaghai, said that the work of the irrigation project has been halted at main canal of the Paika river.
“The project work at Tikhiri, Patalipanka, Takarapanga, Ameipal and Jadupur panchayats is yet to be started. Besides, the work of the main canal coming from the right side of Chitrotpala river has been halted at Kalabuda. The work should be carried forward through Garadpur, Pakhada, Patakura, Bedari, Talasanga and Garjang,” he said.
Moreover, there is need for construction of branch canals and sub-canals in the project areas so that farmlands can be irrigated.
As for the project, Zilla Parishad member (zone 26) Ganesh Chandra Samal said that former Patkura MLA Bijay Mohapatra had initiated efforts for the irrigation project in the larger interest of the farmers.
In 1989, Rs 39.94 crore was sanctioned for the project. Bijay Mohapatra was the water resources minister in the cabinet of the then Biju Patnaik-led government. At that time, project work was carried forward to some extent.
Later, its work was suspended. After repeated agitations by Zilla Jana Suraksha Manch, the cost of the project was revised at Rs 395.46 crore while deadline for its completion was set at 2014.
Although the work was resumed from 2016-17, it is far from completion. The deadline set by the ADB has come to an end.
“The fund utilised for the project is likely to go down the drain as its work fails to make headway,” said Sribasta Samal.
Social activist Pramod Kumar Swain observed that it was due to the apathy of the local leaders and the administration, the project work has failed to make progress over years.
The area is fertile enough to sustain crops, but lack of irrigation has scuttled the scope of agricultural growth, he added. ADM Pitambar Samal said that a meeting was held on the irrigation project while a decision was taken to hasten the project work.
PNN