ROURKELA: Construction of the low-height barrage-cum-bridge project over Koel river at Hamirpur is likely to pick up pace after the monsoon with a revised completion target of June 2026.
The project envisages to secure drinking water availability for Koel Nagar, Shakti Nagar and Jagda within the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) limits and part of the captive township of Rourkela Steel Plant. It would also establish communication link across the river and have provision for irrigation.
The project is running behind schedule largely for technical reason and acquisition of private land. Construction work is now moving at a snail’s pace due to rise in water level of Koel river during the monsoon.
Reliable sources said major portion of the structural work has been completed. The length of the barrage-cum-bridge has been kept at 446.1 metre with two-lane road width of 7.5 metre. A total of around 60 acre of land is required for the approach roads on both sides and guide walls of the barrage.
The project cost is around Rs 309 crore excluding GST and cost for land acquisition. It is learnt that an agreement was signed with the executing agency in September 2022 with completion target of 30 months. But with final approval of design and drawing taking time and a few technical issues cropping up, major works commenced from January 2024.
Superintending engineer (SE) of Rourkela Irrigation Division Dhananjay Kala said he is hopeful of meeting the project’s revised completion target of June 2026. So far, around 66 per cent of structural works have been completed. The work would pick up pace after the monsoon and land acquisition process is simultaneously underway.
Kala said the project primarily envisages storage of drinking water, stabilisation of the potential for mega lift irrigation and create self-command area to irrigate around 1,200 hectare.
Notably, the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the project at Baikuntha Ghat in July 2013 and tender was floated in 2014 only to be hurriedly cancelled. After lingering for several years, the project was redesigned into a pickup weir and then dropped. Subsequently, the original plan for the barrage-cum-bridge was finalised at Hamirpur, a nearby downstream location of Koel river.