Odisha cabinet approves tender for Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System

BHUBANESWAR: The state cabinet headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday approved the financial bid for implementation of the Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System , an ambitious project that aims to provide assured irrigation to around 25,600 hectares of chronically drought-hit areas in Bijepur areas in Bargarh district.

The cabinet that met through videoconferencing approved the tender worth Rs 1138.63 crore for the project. The state government has not revealed the name of the implementing agency of the project.

The irrigation project will be implemented on turnkey basis within a period of 30 months, said chief secretary Asit Tripathy after the cabinet meeting.

“The assurance given by the chief minister to the people of Bijepur is going to be fulfilled. The project would benefit 15,200 hectares covering 77 villages in Bijepur block, 6400 hectares in covering 23 villages in Sohela block and 3840 hectares in 19 villages of Barpali block. It would also partially benefit people in Dunguripali block in Sonepur district,” said the chief secretary.

Though the project was announced by the chief minister in October 2017 ahead of the Bijepur by-election, it could not make any headway in the past three years.

As per the design, the project will draw water from the Hirakud dam through Bargarh main canal into a storage structure at Barihapalli. Water will be delivered to the command area from the secondary storage structure through an underground pipe system. There is also a provision of installation of automated micro irrigation system in 30 per cent command area of the project.

The cabinet also approved four mega drinking water projects, which will provide drinking water to 6.07 lakh people in 911 villages in six districts. These projects will be implemented with an investment of over Rs 800 crore, said official sources.

These drinking water projects will be implemented in Kalimela and Malkangiri blocks in Malkangiri district, Boipariguda block in Koraput, Saraskana and GB Nagar blocks in Mayurbhanj, Bhograi block in Balasore, Kashinagar and Gumma blocks in Gajapati and Mahanga block in Cuttack.

“The state government has given highest priority to provide safe and adequate drinking water in rural areas. Projects worth more than Rs 24,100 crore have been taken up in the last three years, which are under different stages of implementation. Despite expenditure rationalization measures, the state government has not reduced the budget for drinking water projects,” said state panchayati raj and drinking water minister Pratap Jena.

While 66 mega drinking water projects and 6,800 individual projects worth Rs 24,100 crore are ongoing, the state government has planned to invest additional Rs 26,000 crore in the next four years to ensure safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households by 2024, said official sources.