Berhampur: Repair, renovation and restoration projects for the sprawling Bedhabandh water body in Gosani Nuagaon area have failed to make any headway, even though the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) had allocated Rs 50 crore for the purpose in the last fiscal.
The project is part of the BeMC’s efforts for groundwater conservation in the urban local body area.
“Ten months have passed since the BeMC made budgetary allocation for the project. Now, the new financial year has commenced, but the civic authorities are least concerned about the project,” lamented some members of Sachetan Nagarika Manch.
According to reports, there are 42 water bodies in BeMC area while almost half of them are wallowing in neglect. These water bodies play a key role in recharging the groundwater as the water table has been plummeting during the last several years.
“On one hand we have rising population pressure and on the other the groundwater level is nose-diving. The area is becoming waterstressed because of spiraling water needs,” a local pointed out.
The idea of conservation and restoration of water bodies was conceived when then Congress MP and now BJD MP Chandrasekhar Sahu was a minister in UPA government of 2004.
With Sahu’s efforts, the UPA government had sanctioned Rs 16 crore for 42 water bodies under Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies scheme of the Ministry of Water Resources’ at the Centre.
In 2003, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) first got electoral success in the civic body polls in Berhampur. However, the council had not utilised the central fund for the water body conservation project.
In view of delay in launch of the project, the Union government had sent repeated reminders to the civic body. Later, the civic authorities had started restoration work of some water bodies like Haridakhandi and Dhobabandh, and that too in a hurried manner.
Locals had then accused the civic body of botching up the work and misappropriating the fund. Even in 2008, the civic body had not fully utilised the central fund, even after voted to power.
Though funds were utilised for some water bodies in 2013, several other water bodies including Bedhabandh were left out of the restoration.
“In 2018, the Collector was given additional charge of BeMC administration. In the last fiscal, there was budgetary allocation of Rs 50 crore to develop various facilities like power boating and restaurants. However, the work is yet to be taken up even though 10 months have passed,” locals lamented.
PNN