For a barrage near Bankatira in Remuna block over river Budhabalanga, the Irrigation Department has almost finished the survey works after obtaining approval of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
The project to be built with an estimated cost of nearly Rs 320 crore would be built on area of nearly 230 hectares of land, including 30 hectares of private land. Significantly, the land patch doesn’t minvolve either forest land or displacement of human settlement.
Irrigation Executive Engineer Niranjan Mahalik stated that the project has obtained approval of the CWC and it would be built with the funds from the Centre’s JICA (Japan international cooperation agency) and the State.
MP RK Jena had urged to accelerate the project which was hanging on fire for years due to some reason or the other. “A survey work for the barrage as well as canal for channelizing water to agriculture field to a length of nearly 100 km is completed. However, the survey for record of right of private land is under progress,” said Mahalik.
“The project, besides facilitating irrigation, also would be helpful in containing flood and further there is a plan to tap the barrage water for drinking water of Baleswar town. Hopefully, the project would take off in the month of October after tendering process,” he said.
The project envisages to irrigate 6,100 hectares, including 5,000 hectares of Baleswar Sadar and 1,100 hectares of Basta mainly during kharif crop. Further, the report said that the barrage would be designed for maximum flood discharge of 6,801.87 cusecs and the construction doesn’t require any forest clearance or displacement. The catchment area at the proposed barrage is 220 sq km.
“The multipurpose project would address future drinking water requirement of Baleswar, besides catering to the need of irrigation and flood control means. The proposal was in cold storage and now activated,” said Jena.