DHENKANAL: The district administration has redrawn the much-needed water supply project at famous Kapilash temple months after taking into consideration the objections raised by Archeological Survey of India (ASI).
The estimated cost of the project has in effect been increased from Rs 54 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore.
Last year, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) officials had started construction work on the project for water supply from Kapilash foothills to Kapilash pitha at a cost of Rs 54 lakh under BASUDHA scheme.
But a few months back, the ASI objected to the concrete-based structure and asked the officials concerned to redesign it.
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They stated that the concrete work will affect conservation measures taken up at the shrine. The RWSS has submitted the revised project, having a capacity of five lakh litre water, to the ASI for approval.
Instead of cement concrete, steel-based structure will be made for the water supply project which will cost Rs 1.2 crore, said RWSS Executive Engineer Bijayananda Sahoo.
Provisioning of water was a long standing demand of the devotees who throng the shrine in large numbers every Monday and on holy occasions as Kartika Purnima and Shivaratri.
But the temple lacks safe drinking water supply facilities for devotees.
Around Rs 35 lakh will also be spent for power supply of the project. The RWSS will restart the construction work soon, Sahoo added.
The peak of Kapilash enshrines the temple of Lord Chandrasekhar at a height of about 457 metres. The place is identified with Kailash, the legendary abode of Lord Shiva.
A flight of 1,351 steps and a ghat road leads to the temple. As many as 20 lakh devotees and tourists throng the religious site every year.