Sambalpur June 17: The public health engineering organisation (PHEO) has initiated steps to provide water supply to the new areas that are now part of the municipal corporation.

"A proposal of around Rs 135 crore had been sent to the Centre to provide water supply through pipelines to the rural areas, which have been merged with the recently formed corporation, and also to the areas in the city that are not covered by pipe water supply. This will be done under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) scheme and the government has already approved the proposal," said PHEO executive engineer M.R. Nanda.

He said 54 villages on the city outskirts were now part of the corporation area and new pipelines would be laid and water tanks constructed to supply water to these areas.

"A survey is being carried out in the corporation area and a consultancy firm called Engineers India Limited has been entrusted with the task. The survey at Larpang in Hirakud has already been completed," he said.

"We have also identified 27 slums in the city that are yet to get pipe water supply. The areas will be covered under this proposal," he said.

The city was upgraded to a municipal corporation in November 2014. Hirakud, Burla and the villages of 12 gram panchayats near Sambalpur have been merged to constitute the municipal corporation.

Residents of the rural areas that have been merged with Sambalpur, have welcomed the proposal of the PHEO.

"Our village was under Sindupankh gram panchayat in Maneswar block. Now its part of the corporation area. Around 2,000 people reside in our locality. But the area has only one tube well for drinking water," said Sarojini Acharya, a resident of Takba.

A four-million-litres-per-day water treatment plant has also been proposed to be set up at the public health engineering ground in Sambalpur to strengthen water distribution network and supply water to uncovered areas in Sambalpur.

The project will be implemented under the central government's Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns.