SAMBALPUR: Funds crunch has delayed construction of a composite building that would house the offices of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Sambalpur Development Authority (SDA) here. Even as the building was to be completed by December last year, SMC has missed the deadline.
The building, which is being constructed on the banks of river Mahanadi at Durgapali area in the city, has been designed on the lines of the landmark Hirakud dam located under the SMC limits.
The four-storey building is coming up over an area of 4.5 acre at the expenditure of `20 crore. Work on the composite building started in November, 2017. At present, the SMC office is operating from the old Sambalpur Municipality building and does not have sufficient space to accommodate all sections of the civic body. The existing municipality building was constructed in the year 1927. Similarly, the SDA office is operating from a small building at Saliabagicha in the city. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid foundation stone of the composite building in 2016.
Assistant Executive Engineer of SMC, Bipin Bihari Mohanty said currently, finishing work of the composite building is underway. However, it would take some more time for completion of the building due to paucity of funds. He said funds were not sanctioned on time which resulted in the delay.