Dhenkanal: Rengali right canal, a long cherished dream of thousands of farmers of Angul and Dhenkanal districts is going to be a reality soon. Rengali irrigation department sources said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the project soon.
The ambitious project will be able to irrigate 14,118 hectares of farmland in both the districts.
Preparatory work of its grand inauguration is in progress under the supervision of chief engineer Rajendra Kumar Mohapatra, it was learnt.
With 80 per cent population in this district living on agriculture, the irrigation project has brought cheers for the farming community.
The Planning Commission, now NITI Aayog, had approved the Rengali irrigation project in 1978. Its construction was undertaken in 1997 after the approval of a technical committee. The work on the main canal with a stretch of 79 km was taken up under accelerated irrigation benefit programme while its length was extended by 16 km in the second phase.
The initial cost was estimated at Rs 738.27 crore while the cost was revised to Rs 1962.33 crore in 2013. The revised cost estimate was approved by the Central Water Commission.
The 79-km stretch of the right canal in the first phase has been completed.
The department had released water through 23-km stretch in 2006 and later through 39-km stretch canal in 2008 on an experimental basis.
The right canal will irrigate 1,970 hectares in Dhenkanal Sadar block, 3736 hectares in Odapada block, 6,275 hectares in Gondia block, 362 hectares in Banarpal block, 95 hectares in Kaniha block and 1650 hectares in Talcher block.
The second phase of its work is going on in full steam, sources said.
“After completion of the second phase of work, the project will be able to irrigate a total of 1,04,092 hectares of land in Dhenkanal, Angul, Cuttack and Jajpur districts,” said Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, superintending engineer of Rengali irrigation division.
Executive engineers Bijay Chandra Sahu and Sushant Rath said release of water through the canal will boost groundwater level in the area. PNN