CUTTACK: The state government has sought more time from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to rejuvenate the dead Sukapaika drainage channel. Responding to a petition filed by Swarup Kumar Rath and six others, the eastern zone bench of NGT in September this year had instructed the state government to take steps for rejuvenation of Sukapaika drainage channel project and complete the task by March, 2023 to mitigate the drinking water problem being faced by residents of three blocks of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.
However, unsure of meeting the deadline, the state government has decided to submit a petition with NGT seeking extension of the project completion time till June, 2024. But as per the present status of the project, it seems unlikely the project will be completed by the given time as it will take at least three months to finish the tender process.
This apart, the district administration will have to acquire 24.40 hectare of private and 155.56 hectare of government land for the project. Even as acquiring government land would not be a problem, the process for acquiring private land will be a tough task.
Cuttack collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani said the state government will spend an estimated Rs 50 crore to rejuvenate the dead water channel. The project has been reviewed and the Water Resources department instructed to seek time from NGT as least six months will be needed for embankment cutting. He said the land acquisition process will be initiated after budgetary provisions are made for resettlement and rehabilitation package.
Sukapaika, a dead river originating from Mahanadi, has its mouth at Ayatpur village. It traverses a length of 27.50 km before merging with Mahanadi river at Bankala. The river passes through 425 villages of 26 gram panchayats in Sadar, Nischintakoili and Raghunathpur blocks of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.
The mouth of the river was closed in 1950 for development of Taladanda canal system and flood protection on its delta. The river remained dead for several decades causing inconvenience to people of villages nearby as they depended on it for sourcing drinking water and water for irrigation.