CUTTACK: Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) has informed the Orissa High Court that more than 80 per cent of sewerage work has been completed in 19 wards of the city, but expressed its inability to complete the rest work in these wards in a month.
OWSSB is implementing JICA-funded Odisha Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project (OISIP) in the city.
On February 3, the Court had sought a detailed status report on progress of the project after it was stated that out of total 381 km of laying of sewerage line, 293 km had been completed.
The balance work shall be completed probably by September 2020. The Court expected the project authorities to complete balance work where substantial progress has been made in a month.
In an affidavit filed on Monday, OWSSB Chief Engineer Basanta Parida stated that the project is being implemented in 49 wards.
While the project work has been completed in three wards, the work substantially completed (more than 80 per cent) in 19 wards.
Work is in progress in 26 wards and it has not been started in one ward, Parida informed in his affidavit.
“In 19 wards, where work has been substantially completed (more than 80 per cent), the total balance work is 18,452 metre. It is not possible to complete in toto within one month time from February 3. However, the same shall be completed on priority,” Parida, who is also Project Director of OISIP, said in the affidavit.
Taking note of the affidavit, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanju Panda and Justice SK Sahoo fixed March 6 for further stock-taking of the project.