Bhubaneswar, Aug. 2: Land acquisition has emerged as a major stumbling block in the process to renovate natural drainage channels across the city.

Work on channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 has already started and groundwork has been planned for the remaining four — channels 5, 6, 7 and 8. The drainage division believes that the cost of the project will go up from Rs 68.33 crore to Rs 410 crore as more land is required to be acquired for the renovation project.

When renovation work started on the first four drainage channels as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), there was no provision under the central government-sponsored programme for land acquisition. But, later the state government took an initiative to include all the drainage channels under its renovation programme.

Chief engineer of drainage division R.C. Panda said: “The work is over in all patches where government land was available along the stretches of channels 1, 2 and 4. Initial work has just started on the course of drainage channel No. 3. A tender has been finalised for channels 5 and 6 and approval for work on these channels will be given very soon. Similarly, tender papers for the drainage channels 7 and 8 have been given to the state government and the process will be finalised within the rainy season.”

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) will develop channel No. 10, for which a detailed plan is ready and a tender process is on. However, the fate of natural drainage channel No. 9 is not yet known as no agency has come forward to take up renovation work on this channel.

A recent meeting on the city’s drainage system, chaired by the state housing and urban development secretary, has also decided that a detailed survey on the requirement of land for renovation of the remaining drains should be taken up and a cost benefit analysis will be done.

Initially, it was estimated that the renovation of the first four drainage channels would require only 5 acres.

But, a detailed study conducted later revealed that there will be a total land requirement of 46 acres, of which 26.39 acres belong to private owners, the acquisition of which requires huge investment from the state government. Similarly, for the drainage channels 5, 6, 7 and 8, the total requirement of land acquisition is 33 acres, of which 25 acres belong to private owners.

“The new estimates were necessary because earlier we thought that the land around the drainage channels would be free from any controversy as the channels were flowing on their natural paths. But now, we have come to know that many land along the channels are registered with private persons,” said the drainage division chief engineer.

Directive to BDA

As the encroachment issue has occupied the centrestage in all discussions on the renovation of the natural drainage channels, the state housing and urban development secretary has directed the BDA not to approve any building plan along the natural drains. He also asked the BDA to demolish the unauthorised constructions under the Odisha Development Authority Act, 1982.

On the other hand, the general administration department, which owns all the government land in the city, will request the advocate general for vacation of a stay order imposed by Orissa High Court in the case of Tapaswini Kar and others for facilitating construction of an alternative path for the drainage channel No. 4 near Acharya Vihar as the area becomes waterlogged because of encroachment on its original course.

Encroachment has become such an acute problem that parts of New Forest Park Colony remained waterlogged for more than 24 hours on July 20 because of illegal occupation of a government land by an individual. The place is a stone’s throw away from the official residence of the chief minister, who also holds the water resources portfolio.

There will also be a detailed plan to include the secondary and tertiary drains (local drains) under Rs 600-crore comprehensive development plan for the stormwater drainage system. The housing and urban development department has chalked out a strategy for which a detailed project report has been under preparation by a Singapore-based consultant. However, there has not been any initiative so far to take up the work.