Rourkela, Sept. 10: More than a year after chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for a check dam on Koel river on July 9 last year, construction work is yet to begin.

The project near water intake well of Rourkela Steel Plant will help river Deo, a small tributary of Koel, to retain water throughout the year. This in turn will help residents of Koelnagar, Jhirpani, Jagda, Shaktinagar, National Institute of Technology (NIT) and those staying in the captive township of the steel plant get water.

Besides, a 7.5-metre wide road on the bridge will also facilitate better traffic movement. For the villagers of the command area, the barrage will help in multi-cropping. Besides, vegetable cultivation can be taken up round the year.

Jatindra Nath Swain, a native and public rehabilitation secretary in Tamil Nadu, who has wide experience in the field of water management and conservation, said that the project would prove to be a boon for a large number of people.

“With the implementation of the dam, the water table will go up in the nearby areas. Besides, it will help in cultivation. This has happened in many places,” the officer said.

The decision to set up the check dam was taken in April 2010 at a meeting, which was attended by top officials of the steel plant. They had agreed to provide funds for the construction of the dam.

However, nothing substantial has been done except for the appointment of an engineer called Saroj Patnaik. “The cost of the project stands at Rs 250 crore and will be completed within 30 months from the day the construction begins,” Patnaik said.

“The technical aspects has been evaluated and the report is pending before the government for its clearance. Once we get the nod, the financial aspect will be checked and then the tender will be awarded to the lowest bidder,” said executive engineer in-charge of the project, N. Bisi.

The company to win the contract will maintain the barrage for two years before handing it over to the government, said Bisi.

Former MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak, on whose initiative the project was taken up, said: “This is my dream project and I will make efforts to see that it is completed.”

At present, many places around Rourkela such as Jareikela and Bhalulata can’t be used as tourist spots due to Maoist threat. Once the dam comes up near Koelnagar, it can be developed as a picnic spot.