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Rain delays renovation works

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

The renovation works in several ponds have been delayed due to water accumulation during monsoon in Berhampur.

BERHAMPUR: The unplanned work during the monsoons may mar the plans of renovation of large tanks of the city. It was felt that the large scale investment for it may go down the drains. Renovation of these 25 large tanks was taken up at a cost of over Rs. 8 crore. For it the Central Government has provided a grant of Rs. 6.66 crore, while the rest Rs. 1.67 crore was provided by the State Government.

The aim was to increase the water bearing capacity of these tanks to stop ground water depletion in the city limits.

But the work was started in a hurried manner just before the monsoons. It may be noted that earth work even under the NREGP was not done during the rainy season, as it only leads to loss of labour and funds. But for some reasons the Berhampur municipality decided to allow the contractors to take up the tank renovation work during the monsoons. The result shave started to show up. The truth behind allegations of low grade work only needed a few showers to come out into the open. The stone embankments of the tank neat Durga temple at municipality colony were in the rains. The total budget for the renovation of this tank was Rs. 47 lakh. Recently embankment of another tank renovated at Babaji Tota street had also fallen down during the rains. Embankment walls of several other renovated tanks are also alleged to be of very low grade. There is also doubt on the quality of desilting work of these tanks as monsoon rains filled them up before the desilting work could be completed.

The State Vigilance Department has also started to smell something fishy in the whole affair and has started investigating into the files related to tender and work order of the renovation work of these tanks which were taken up at high cost.

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