BERHAMPUR: Inordinate delay in replacing the old pipeline of Rushikulya water supply has fuelled resentment among locals in the city. The 6.4 km pipeline was to be replaced from Jagannathpur junction to Kamapalli Chowk at a cost of `11.85 crores sanctioned under AMRUT scheme in 2015-2016. Accordingly, the Public Health (PH) department had floated tenders and procured the all the pipes but around two km of the pipeline is still awaiting replacement.
Social worker Sanyasi Gouda and few others have written to the Principal Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development department in this regard. “The pipes should have been procured phase wise. Now, due to the delay, pipes worth crores are lying on the roadside covered with shrubs.
Contacted, PH officials said work on the remaining portion of the pipeline is delayed due to want of clearance from various departments including Ministry of Road Transportation and Highways and also locals as the pipeline passes through the interior of the city.