Farmers in Odisha stare at uncertainty as barrage projects stand still

BARIPADA,APRIL 28: The farmers of Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts are staring at a difficult kharif season due to the inordinate delay in sanction of the two proposed barrage projects, Sono and Banktira targeted to irrigate more than 13,600 hectares land.

According to sources,  the Subarnarekha Irrigation division-cum-basin of Mayurbhanj had sent the estimation cost of the two projects to the state government for approval but not much headway has been made so far. 

The estimate of  Rs  966.62 crore for Sono and Rs  376.05 crore for Banktira was Subarnarekha Irrigation Project (SIP)-cum-basin was sent  to the Water Resources Department after surveying barrage base and pond area, canal alignment and ayacut and geo-technical investigation of barrage based area by Geological Survey of India.

Sono barrage proposed over river Sono in Budhabalanga basin near Puradihi village is expected to cater to at least 9,900 hectare (ha) of land across Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts. It would benefit a lakh farmers of GB Nagar and Badasahi blocks of Mayurbhanj district and Remuna and Nilagiri blocks of Balasore district.

Banktira,  a few kilometres from Amurtnala upper side in Remuna block of Balasore district would supply water from Budhabalanga river though pipeline to irrigate 3,700 hectares of land. It would help farmers of more than 120 villages under 22 panchayats within three blocks in Balasore and one block in Mayurbhanj district.

Chief Engineer of SIP Basin Taranisen Dhal  said the proposals have not been approved and the government has asked to reduce the estimation costs of both.Ten years after it was proposed, the Sono barrage project was put on priority by the Mayurbhanj district administration.  But the delay has resulted in over 400 per cent cost overrun from an initial estimate of Rs  216.73 crore to the revised Rs  966.62 crore at present.

-TNIE