Bhubaneswar: The public health engineering organisation (Pheo) has issued a standard operating procedure to shift utilities coming in the way of water supply projects.

The utilities include electronic transformers, poles and road furniture belonging to various government departments and identified to be removed for taking up projects such as pipe laying and construction of underground and overhead reservoirs.

"The procedure was a necessity to ensure timely completion of the projects. We often face hurdles in getting timely permissions from the respective authorities to shift their utilities. In the new guideline, we will be able to get it done," said a Pheo official.

Pheo will list the utilities that need to be shifted for taking up the projects and submit the same to the concerned government agencies before commencing the work. The agencies will then make efforts and shift their utilities within a month after receiving the list.

Pheo will bear the cost of shifting. "This procedure has been framed to bring transparency. We will make all-round efforts to ensure that the guideline is followed properly," said Pheo's superintending engineer C.R. Jena.

Earlier, the government had framed a rule to help Pheo and other agencies acquire small government and private land required for certain projects. It enabled the agencies to acquire the land for small infrastructure projects from the owner on lease and compensate them according to the market price. "At times, we need small portions of land to lay pipelines and other such things. But as those fall in some government or private places, we cannot acquire it and are forced to divert the plan. Such policies , however, help us complete the job without much hassle," said Jena.

Social worker Alok Kar said: "It is true that the administration faces hurdles in executing many projects, but it is the duty of the state government to empower them with certain rules that could be used for completing the projects."