BERHAMPUR: Just ahead of the General Elections, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the State’s first integrated water supply project in Ganjam. But, only 45 per cent of the much-awaited `488-crore Janibili mega water supply project has been completed so far with the remaining work moving at a snail’s pace.In March, before the model code of conduct came into force, Naveen inaugurated the Janibili project when first phase work was completed. To complete the first phase work, not only were pipelines laid haphazardly but water supply was also started from the incomplete project.
According to reports, norms were flouted by the construction agency Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as far as laying of pipelines is concerned. While pipes were supposed to be laid underground, those were laid over the ground. Pipelines were laid through Ghodahada river by constructing temporary morum road with the agency assuring that the temporary road will be replaced by a kutcha one before monsoon.
Last year, the Chief Minister had expressed his displeasure over the delay in implementing the water project and directed the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department to take up the matter with the L&T for timely construction of the project and water supply to Berhampur by January 2019. However, the State Government had to extend the project deadline to June 6, 2019 whereas the construction agency is not confident of completing it before 2020.
The project aims at providing 300 million litre per day (MLD) of water but it is supplying 25 MLD after inauguration. Apart from the intake well, the project includes laying of 58-km pipeline from Janibili to Berhampur and a water treatment plant at Jagadalpur. The construction firm has already laid pipelines on 56 km and 50 per cent of work on the treatment plant has been completed. Also, 50 per cent work of the storage reservoir at Janibili is over.
Apart from 58-km stretch, the L&T had to lay 235 km pipeline in Berhampur town to supply water to the households but so far pipelines have been laid on around 120 km.Meanwhile, the Basin Manager-cum-Chief Engineer of Rushikulaya-Vansadhara-Nagavali (RVN) basin has asked the L&T authorities to enhance the water supply to 125 MLD. The construction firm, though, expressed helplessness as there is no water in the project’s intake well at Janibili to enhance the supply beyond 25 MLD.
After Dakhinpur reservoir in 1905 and Rushikulya joint water supply project at Madhapur in 1980, Berhampur got third water supply project at Janibili in 2013 when Naveen laid its foundation stone. Tender was floated in 2016 and the construction work was entrusted to Chennai-based L&T. Though the company had targeted to complete the work by November 2018, it failed to meet the deadline due to several reasons including delay in road excavation permission from NHAI and land acquisition.
L&T has again written to the State Government to extend the deadline to February 2020.