Bolangir: Construction of Lower Suktel irrigation project at Magurbeda in this district has progressed well despite the initial setbacks, a report said.
Over 75 per cent of work on the dam’s spillway and 45.3 per cent of its soil embankment has been completed despite the Union government stopping funds since the 2017-18 fiscal.
Many apprehend that the dam work might not get completed due to non-availability of Central funds. However, the state government has moved ahead with the dam work despite funds crunch and other setbacks.
Work on the dam has passed through many trials and tribulations. However, these are not yet over as the irrigation project was found trapped in the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
The matter came to the fore following information available under the Right to Information Act. It was apprehended that the dam work might get stalled till the Mahanadi water dispute gets resolved at the Tribunal.
However, proving all apprehensions wrong, the state government has succeeded in commencing the construction work on the project. The dam work further got a boost after a two-member team from the Central Water Commission (CWC) visited the under-construction dam at Magurbeda and reviewed the project, Friday morning.
They were accompanied by engineer Niranjan Rout, chief construction officer of Lower Suktel mega irrigation project, Nirbighna Bhoi, executive officer of the dam and other senior officers.
The team comprised of Dillip Kumar Jena, director of regional office of Central Water Commision at Bhubaneswar and Ram Prasad, deputy director in the office. The two senior officials made an appraisal of the dam work and went around the dam spillway and its soil embankment.
They also reviewed the machines used for constructing the dam and sought to know the modus operandi of the dam work. Their visit has ignited hope here that the Union government might again release Central funds for the mega irrigation project
Sources said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for Lower Suktel, November 24, 2001. At that time, the project was opposed by the residents of 29 villages, who would be affected by the project.
The project work was stopped due to the villagers’ protest and the state government again prepared itself and started the work on the dam in 2013.
However, supporters of the dam launched an agitation over compensation and rehabilitation of the displaced villagers. As a result, the dam work was again stopped in 2018. Later, despite constraints, the state government started the work from February 26, this year.
When contacted, chief engineer Rout said that the visit of two senior officials of Central Water Commission has raised hopes of release of Central funds for the project.
PNN
