Berhampur: Even as the much-awaited Rs 431 crore worth Janibili mega water supply project will complete its first anniversary since start of the work, March 3, only 45 per cent of the project has been completed. Work is really moving at a snail’s pace which has led to inordinate delay in commissioning of the project.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated March 3, 2019, the state’s first integrated water supply project in Ganjam just before the general and Assembly elections in Odisha. It may be mentioned here that the CM inaugurated the project after its foundation stone was laid by him in 2013 and the first phase of work was over by March 3 last year.
Sources said to complete the first phase of work, not only were pipelines laid haphazardly but also water supply was given from the incomplete project. Sources added that norms were flouted by the construction agency as far as laying of the pipelines were concerned. While pipes were supposed to be laid underground, those were laid above the soil surface.
Pipelines were laid through Ghodahada river by constructing a temporary morum road. The agency had assured that the temporary road will be replaced by a pucca one before the monsoons.
Last year, the Patnaik expressed his displeasure over the delay in implementing the water project and directed the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department to take up the matter with L&T for timely construction of the project and water supply to Berhampur by January 2019. However, the state government had to extend the project deadline to June 6, 2019 whereas the construction agency was not confident of completing it before 2020, sources said.
The project, at least in paper, comes as a relief to the southern Odisha’s prime commercial city which has been battling with drinking water woes for many years.
After the completion of the project, it will benefit more than 5,00,000 people in both rural and urban areas of Ganjam district by providing better access to drinking water.
Apart from Berhampur, the project would cater to the water needs of 53 villages in 16 gram panchayats between Janibili and Berhampur. It is estimated that there would be supply 300 lakh litres of water on a daily basis through a pipeline network of 232 kilometres.
Sources said only 27,900 houses in the district are connected through pipelines from the project now. The construction of six overhead tanks has been completed out of the total 17. Besides this laying of pipelines about 11km is yet to be completed.
Executive engineer Sitaram Panda said the residents of the district will get drinking water under the mega water project from April, 2020.
PNN