BHUBANESWAR: The state cabinet today approved the proposal to award works for 54 more schemes under the Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme in four clusters to irrigate about 62,000 hectares. The projects will cost Rs 1796.27 crore.
The schemes will cover 23 blocks in five districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, Kalahandi and Nuapada. Larsen and Toubro (L&T), GVPR Engineering Limited and Megha Engineering have been selected as the executing agencies in these four clusters. The cabinet meeting presided over by chief minister Naveen Patnaik also cleared several other important proposals including enhancement of expenditure limit for tribal and non-tribal dominated blocks under the Biju Grama Jyoti Yojana (BGJY) and formation of the state legal service cadre.
While L&T will take up 28 projects in two clusters at a cost of Rs 1028 crore, GVPR Engineering Limited will execute 12 schemes in one cluster at a cost of Rs 297 crore and Megha Engineering has been awarded work on 14 schemes one in a cluster which will cost Rs 296 crore.
So far 154 schemes in 12 clusters to irrigate 2,30,600 hectares at a cost of Rs 5008 crore have been started under the MLIS, chief secretary AP Padhi told media persons.
The last three clusters of Phase-I of MLIS having 30 schemes will irrigate about 44,000 hectares at an estimated cost of Rs 1319 crore. Tender for one cluster has already been floated while two others will be put to tender soon.
When completed the schemes of the three clusters will benefit 16 blocks of Sambalpur, Sonepur, Angul, Boudh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.
Padhi said besides MLIS, a major lift canal system is already under execution in the Upper Indravati command covering Jaipatna, Koksara and Dharamgarh blocks in Kalahandi district. The Upper Indravati Lift Canal System with an estimated cost of Rs 987 crore will irrigate about 26,250 hectares. The project is expected to be completed by March, 2019.
The cabinet approved the proposal to amend the guidelines of the BGJY for effective implementation of the scheme. The overall limit for expenditure in tribal and non-tribal blocks was decided to be increased to Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore per annum from Rs 50 lakh under the scheme.
While 30 percent of the funds will be earmarked for electrification of villages and habitations, 60 percent will be provided for distribution system improvement and 10 percent will be allocated for electrification of BPL households.
Wherever necessary, the inter-component changes can be effected by the district collector within the overall ceiling of expenditure per block per annum with the approval of the district empowered committee (DEC). If the expenditure of any block is required to be incurred in excess of the ceiling, the collector of
the district can submit a proposal with the approval of the DEC to the energy department.
The Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited will be the nodal agency for procurement of power and distribution transformers and other materials.