BALASORE: A high-level team’s inspection to review restoration of the Coast Canal that connects West Bengal to Odisha has raised hopes of people of Balasore and Bhadrak districts. The inspection was conducted following Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi’s intervention.
Led by Suhail Rafat, National Waterway 5 and National Waterway 64 project coordinator, the team surveyed important locations such as Jamkunda, Mandhata-Bhograi, and Naikul-Solpata sectors. The inspection team also assessed the Nuniajodi water amusement park project’s progress.
The canal’s construction started in 1880-81 to protect people from acute famine with an estimated cost of Rs 36 lakh following its renovation in 1888. It provided trade and communication routes between Bhograi, Baliapal, and Basta, acting as a lifeline for the area during the ‘Na-anka Durbhikhya’.
The canal covers 13 km in Bhograi, 14 km in Jamkunda in Baliapal, and 13 km from Jamkunda to Madhata. The 40 km stretch between Bhograi and Mandhata is now neglected, resulting in silt buildup that affects irrigation for about 500 acres of land.
It links the Matai river at Charbatia, close to Bhadrak with the Hooghly river at Geonkhali, which is 72 km from Kolkata. Four ranges make up its 147.2 km section inside Odisha. After railway connections were established in 1897 between Howrah and Cuttack via Balasore, the waterway’s importance decreased.
Locals accused the previous government saying the canal’s deterioration is due to 24 years of alleged negligence under the BJD government. The 221 km British-era canal which can boost irrigation, flood control, and pisciculture is dying a slow death because of lack of maintenance and dredging, they said.
Deputy Chief Whip Gobinda Chandra Das, Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Kumar Dutta and Collector SM Vikas were part of the team.