The state works department has sought the intervention of police to take action against errant officials of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for unauthorized dumping of large number of pipes on the Cuttack-Paradip state highway, thereby affecting road construction work.
“The unauthorized dumping of pipes from Cuttack to Kandarpur has created hindrances on the construction work of this road. An FIR has been lodged at Cuttack Sadar, Chauliaganj police station and Kandarpur out post to take action against the errant officials of IOCL. Police is investigating this case”, Jayant Dhal, assistant engineer (works) of the Fakirapara sub-division.
IOCL has been drawing 40 lakh gallons of water per day through the Talanda canal for undertaking construction work of its oil refinery project in Paradip.
Now, it has decided to take water from the barrage on Mahanadi river in Cuttack instead of Talanda canal through pipe lines. The company would take 75.65 cusecs of water from this barrage.
An official of IOCL has stated that water from the Mahanadi river barrage would come through pipe lines from Cuttack to Paradip for which the company has decided to lay pipe lines on the road side of the Cuttack- Paradip state highway belonging to the state works department.
Meanwhile, Chief Engineer, works department has informed the officials of IOCL that no permission would be given to the factory for laying the pipe lines as the company was creating hindrances in the construction work of the Cuttack-Paradip state highway.
Sources said that widening and construction work of the 82-km Cuttack- Paradip state highway is going on in full swing at a cost of Rs 125 crore.
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Out of the 82-km stretch, only 35 km has been completed within three years. The tardy progress is due to the delay in getting the forest clearance from the Union Ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).
Kumarbar Swain, project director, Cuttack-Paradip state highway, said that the works department has not yet given clearance to IOCL to lay the raw water pipe lines on 5 to 75 Kms of this road as construction work is on progress. But factory authorities has been dumping the pipes, creating hindrances for construction work of the road.
Meanwhile, the activists of Mahanadi Bacchao Samiti have strongly protested the supply of water from Mahanadi river to industries. They have argued that diversion of the river water would affect agriculture in Cuttack, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts.
They have also protested the laying of the pipe lines on this road illegally without permission of the state government as well as works department and have demanded compensation from IOCL.