BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to improve the sanitation system in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Official sources said that Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project has been planned out for the two. The project will be jointly financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the State Government. Funds from the JICA will be provided to the State Government as loan.
The project envisages to have 236-km sewer line in Bhubaneswar with an expenditure of ` 325 crore. It will be constructed in two phases, 100 km in phase-I and 136 km in phase-II.
Cuttack will have sewer of 375 km with a cost of ` 550 crore in two phases. While 241 km of sewer will be laid in the first phase, 134 km will be constructed in the second phase.
Sources said that survey, design and documents for the project had already been submitted to the JICA for financial assistance. A sub-committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Secretary of the Urban Development and Housing Department with the chief engineers of railways, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Public Works Department and Water Resources Department as members.
The sub-committee will work for project clearances in the matters of railway crossings, national highway, canal and road crossings in the project area. It has been decided that three project monitoring units (PMUs), two in Cuttack and one in Bhubaneswar, will be set up for smooth and timely execution of the project.
A laboratory building will be constructed and awareness activities will be taken up creating awareness on sanitation among the people. Besides, a decision has also been taken to complete land acquisition process in a time frame for implementation of the project.
Official sources said that the phase-I work in both the cities will be completed in the next three years. The tendering process and award of work will be over by March. Care will also be taken to avoid any possible technical incompatibility at the execution level between the two phases of project implementation.