Bolangir: Controversies continue to plague Lower Suktel Irrigation Project which is termed as the lifeline of farmers and residents of Bolangir district, a report said. Over 20 years have passed since the work for the project began but it is yet to get completed.
Meanwhile, after several controversies and objections, the project work has resumed after the state government and senior administrators intervened. The fresh deadline of the project is March 2023.
In its bid to meet the deadline, the consultancy agency is now hastily carrying out the dam work and other miscellaneous works of the project.
The initial outlay for the project was Rs 217 crore but it has now reached a staggering Rs 4,000 crore. It is alleged that engineers have splurged money under the cover of senior administrators without actually doing any work during last 20 years. Nobody is mustering courage to oppose them as they enjoy the patronage of senior administrators.
Moreover, locals have alleged that substandard soil is being used in construction of the embankment, raising questions about the durability of the dyke. They have alleged that the consultancy agency is not using the soil tested for the purpose but laying soil on the embankment by lifting it from other sites. Locals have alleged that the engineers are encouraging such a move to complete the work within the fresh deadline.
In the meantime, 90 per cent of the spillway work and 70 per cent of the soil embankment work have been completed. Reports said the initial outlay was only Rs 217.13 crore when it received administrative approval in 1999.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the project in November 2001 which was planned for completion by 2005. However, the project failed to make any headway due to stiff opposition from the residents of likely submerged areas. People intensified their agitation after they noticed severe irregularities in the social survey conducted for the project.
The project got mired in controversy after they found illegal purchase of land for outside people other than the project affected. The project work got stalled and resumed after the district administration started distributing compensation for rehabilitation of the oustees.
However, within a few days, irregularities of Rs 100 crore and fund embezzlement again pushed the project to the backbur ner. Preliminary inquiries indicated involvement of some senior officers, engineers and zone officers in the irregularities. As a result, the project work failed to get completed by 2005.
Later, the anti-project agitation got intensified following which the project work again came to a halt and the fate of the project was pushed into uncertainty. The work resumed after the pro-project people launched an agitation in 2012- 2013.
However, the project supporters started opposing the project after they found some engineers and officers cheating them and misappropriating the funds sanctioned in their names. During this period, the engineers also neglected the work and failed to complete the construction of Lower Suktel Rehabilitation Colony.
Meanwhile, works for construction of the colony has started under the direct supervision of Bolangir Collector Chanchal Rana. Attempt to contact project chief engineer Niranjan Rout on his phone on the corruption allegations failed as the call went unanswered.