BHUBANESWAR: Facing flak for the perennial problem of waterlogging, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally initiated the process for widening the major storm water drainage channels.
The civic body has decided to begin land acquisition along the drainage channels 6,7 and 8 to check waterlogging in Laxmi Sagar, Sishu Bhawan-Mausima temple and Jagmohan Nagar areas. The land map and schedule has been worked out for these drains and provided to officials in charge of the BMC land section for acquisition.
Initially, land near the areas prone to waterlogging will be acquired. “Around Rs 40 crore will be required for acquisition of land as we have to pay the double amount of the land’s benchmark value to the beneficiaries for the drainage expansion project,” said an official from the BMC drainage division. Funds for the purpose will be utilised by the BMC from its own resources as the Rs 753 crore - which the civic body had sought from the State government two years back for acquisition of 61.43 acres private land for expansion of 12 out of 13 major storm water channels - is yet to be released.
The BMC’s Rs 753 crore drainage plan includes acquisition of around 11 acre land in Chandrasekharpur, Damana and Gadakana area for widening of storm water channel-1; 0.46 acre in Gadakana for drainage channel-2; 6.41 acre in Samanta Vihar, Vani Vihar, Samantapuri, Badagada and Gadakana for channel-3; 7.83 acre land in Jayadev Vihar, Bhoi Nagar, Madhusudan Nagar and Vani Vihar for channel-4; 2.72 acre in Kharvel Nagar, Laxmisagar, Meherpali and Badagada for channel-5; 2 acre in Laxmisagar for channel-6; 5.9 acre in Bhimapur, Goutam Nagar, Nuagaon and Mahabhoi Sasan for channel-7 and 3.49 acre in Baramunda and Jagamara for channel-8.
Similarly, 14.9 acre land in Ghatikia, Shankarpur, Dumduma, Begunia, Pokhariput and Bahadalpur for channel-9 and 5.66 acre in Satya Nagar, Jharpada, Gobinda Prasad, Nayapalli and Bhoi Nagar for channel-10 will be acquired.