Rourkela, Sept. 22: Two years ago, chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stones of two projects worth nearly Rs 300 crore with much fanfare.
Two years on, while one has been cancelled, another is stuck in red tape.
The first project was a check dam and a barrage on the Koel river near Koelnagar. Naveen laid the foundation stone for the Rs 200-crore project on July 9, 2013.
A global tender was called and the financial approval was lying with the state government. However, the project has been cancelled and a new project has been initiated in its place. According to the new plan, instead of the check dam, a pick-up weir or a low barrier will be built across a river to control the flow of water.
"The check dam has been replaced with pick-up weir, and the design and investigation for it is on. The detailed project report will be submitted later," said the executive engineer of irrigation at Sundargarh, Nirakara Bisoi.
Interestingly, the foundation stone of this project has gone missing.
"The missing plaque reflects the intention of the state government towards the project and its attitude towards Rourkela," said Ramesh Paikaray, who stays close to where the foundation stone once stood.
The second project was the construction of the Ring Road from Panposh to Jhirpani bridge on the bank of the Koel. The foundation stone for this project was laid on the same day, adjacent to the one for the check dam. The Rs 90-crore 17km Ring Road would have resembled the riverbank of Sabarmati in Ahmedabad. "The four-lane road project would help all those living on the bank of the river because it would have opened the door for economic activities," said S.K. Biswal, faculty member of the marketing department of a business school.
Executive engineer Bisoi said: "The detailed project report for the 17km road has been submitted. We are waiting for the administrative and financial approval which is in process."
Former commerce and transport minister Subrat Tarai, who earlier represented the Raghunathpalli Assembly constituency, said: "I am aware of the delay in the project. There has been a change in plan. It will only be a check dam as the barrage component has been dropped."
