CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has fixed February 10 for further stock-taking of progress of JICA-funded Odisha Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project (OISIP) being implemented by Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) in the city. On January 20, the High Court after suo motu registering a PIL on inconvenience faced by the residents owing to delay in completion of the project had sought a status report on its progress. In pursuance of the order, Chief Engineer of OWSSB Basanta Kumar Parida filed an affidavit when the PIL came up on Monday.
Taking note of the affidavit, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanju Panda and Justice SK Sahoo sought a more detailed report on the progress in project work by February 10. In his affidavit, Parida, who is also the Project Director of OISIP, had informed that of total 381 km of laying of sewerage line, 293 km has already been laid and completed, and the balance work shall be completed probably by September, 2020. Of the public roads dug up for laying of sewerage line, 258 km has already been restored and work is going on in around 9.6 km. Of total length of 21.163 km of Main Drain-1, Main Drain-2 and six sub-drains envisaged under the OISIP, work on 13.19 km has been completed.
“The balance work shall be completed tentatively by November, 2020 except the proposed box drain of 3,066 meters from Pattapola to Matru Bhawan,” Parida said in his affidavit. Out of five stormwater drainage pumping stations currently envisaged under the project, four stations have already been completed. Of which, two pumping stations situated at Police Colony and Bidhyadharpur are already operational for the last one year.
“The rest two pumping stations at Gulguli and Mattagajpur shall be commissioned by March, 2020. The pumping station at Khan Nagar shall be completed and commissioned by November, 2020 as the encroachment needs to be removed for laying of delivery pipeline,” Parida further said in his affidavit.