Rs 71-crore drainage project under JNNURM that started in Puri in 2010-11 and was to be completed in 18 months remains incomplete
Post News Network
Puri: Severe water logging witnessed at several places in the holy town following heavy rain Wednesday has turned the spotlight on a major drainage project that has gradually gone quiet after generating much public and administrative interest at the beginning. The Rs 71-crore project remains incomplete though work on it had started five years ago.
Prominent locations in the town, including Grand Road, VIP Road and Police Barracks Road, had knee-deep water after Wednesday’s showers, throwing life out of gear. Had the drainage project been completed in time, excess rainwater from Grand Road and other low-lying areas would have been drained out smoothly, said residents and urban planners.
Puri Municipality sources said so far construction of 56 km drains out of the total 77 km planned under the project has been completed. Shortage of funds is cited as the reason for non-completion of the remaining 21 km drains.
The district administration and the civic body had jointly launched the project in 2010-11 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The project aimed at constructing 77 km drains at an expenditure of Rs 71 crore to flush out rainwater from five low-lying areas in the town.
As per the provisions of JNNURM, the central government was to fund 80 per cent of the project cost and the state government was to bear the remaining 20 per cent, sources said. Six construction companies were roped in by the drainage department for implementation of the project, which was scheduled to be completed within 18 months of its initiation, said district administration sources.
“Delay in the construction of the drainage project has escalated its cost to Rs 98 crore from the original estimate Rs 71 crore. Now, the allocation of the additional Rs 40 crore required for completion of the project remains problematic,” said a drainage department official.
Sources said the project has been halted midway due to non-allocation of funds from the central and state governments. “There has been no allocation of the additional funds required for the project under JNNURM. We have proposed to the state government that the drainage project be included under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT),” said a municipality official.