 |
| Incomplete tower on Mahanadi. Telegraph picture |
Sonepur, June 22: Proper power supply to 300 villages of Birmaharajpur subdivision has been on a hold because of the delay in construction of towers on the Mahanadi river.
The project will enable people of at least 300 revenue villages of Birmaharajpur subdivision situated on the other side of the Mahanadi to get power supply from Sonepur. The progress has been affected due to the rise in water level after the first monsoon rain.
Birmaharajpur now gets electricity from the Hirakud reservoir. However, as the supply is erratic, the area often plunges into darkness for several days even when there is a minor fault. People of the area have been demanding power supply from Sonepur grid station to get rid of the power crisis gripping them for several years. The 33KV Sonepur grid station was recently upgraded to meet the extra demand of power.
Responding to the demand of Birmaharajpur residents, the state government initially sanctioned Rs 55 lakh from the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) asking if it was possible to erect pillars on the 1.6 km long bridge over Mahanadi that connects Sonepur with Birmaharajpur.
The public works department (PWD) refused to allow such work on the bridge. Thereafter, the state energy department sanctioned Rs 3.58 crores. A private company on April 16, 2010 entered into an agreement with the government to complete the work within six months.
According to the project, five towers have to be erected to connect both sides of the river with power cable. However, work on the project is going on at a snail’s pace. Out of the five, only two towers on both sides has been completed while the ones on the river lay half constructed.
Swambhu Khandagiri, a Birmaharajpur resident and an advocate, said people of the area have been demanding power supply from Sonepur for a long tome.
“Though we have power supply from Hirakud, it is very erratic. Since the power cable from Hirakud passes through forest area to reach Birmaharajpur, there is power failure for several days even during a minor fault. We have been demanding power supply from Sonepur for some time now. At last our demand has been heard and work has started.
“Due to negligence of the contractor and the Western Electricity Supply Company of Orissa (Wesco), progress of work is not satisfactory. Now that rain has started and further work is not possible, it seems we have to wait for another year to get electricity from Sonepur,” Khandagiri said. Jagabandhu Muduli, proprietor of Jagabandhu Enterprises, which has been entrusted with the work, admitted that work had been delayed.
“Water level is not uniform and it keeps on changing which is affecting the work. We are trying to complete the work as soon as possible,” he said.
Executive engineer of Sonepur Wesco division P.C. Behera too admitted that there had been an inordinate delay in the work. “It is true that there has been delay in the work. Since monsoon has already set in nothing can be done right now. While work of the pillar which is under water can’t be done, work is still possible in the two other pillars. I will see that work continues,” Behera said.