Eight major irrigation projects being executed in the state are facing total cost escalation of Rs 8251.57 crore due to time overrun ranging from 3-13 years.
Subarnarekha irrigation project, suffering from inordinate delay, was sanctioned in 1996-97 and scheduled for completion by 2000-01, but it is yet to be commissioned. The timeline for completion of this multi-purpose irrigation project, set to benefit Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal, has been revised to 2013-14 by Union ministry of water resources. In the process, the project cost has gone up from the original Rs 790.32 crore to a whopping Rs 4,049.93 crore.
The project will bring an additional 109,000 hectares of land under irrigation in Orissa.
As per the project plan, a dam will be erected at Chandil, near Jamshedpur and a barrage construction was to be taken up at Galudih to supply water to Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal using the canals. Orissa has 26 per cent share in the Chandil dam and 94 per cent share in the Galudih canal.
Under the project, water will be shared by the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal in the ratio of 71 per cent, 27 per cent and two per cent respectively.
Like Subarnarkeha project, the Rengali Right Bank Canal project has also been delayed by 13 years. Sanctioned in 1996-97 at a cost of Rs 738.27 crore, the project was to be completed by 2000-01. However, the Union ministry of water resources has revised the implementation schedule to 2013-14 with the investment estimate shooting up to Rs 1,290.93 crore.
A note provided by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state assembly shows six more major irrigation projects reeling under delay and grappling with cost overruns.
These irrigation projects with their revised cost (in brackets) include Upper Indravati (Rs 564.77 crore), Rengali Left Bank Canal project (Rs 1,074.02 crore), Lower Indra (Rs 1,182.23 crore), Lower Suktel (Rs 1041.81 crore), Integrated Ananadapur Barrage project (Rs 1,547.15 crore) and Kanupur irrigation project (Rs 1,067.51 crore). For these six mega irrigation projects, cost has escalated by 75 per cent to 458 per cent with time overrun ranging from 3-5 years. Besides the major irrigation projects, 241 minor irrigation projects have suffered cost escalation of Rs 37.06 crore on account of delay in project execution.
