The sewerage and drainage programmes for the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar planned under the Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project have been revised both in terms of its coverage and budget estimate.
The sewer length, which was originally planned for 98 km in Bhubaneswar, has been enhanced to 236 km. Similarly, the length of sewerage coverage for Cuttack has been increased to 375 km from initial plan of 241 km.
As per the revised plan, the projects in the two cities would be constructed in two phases. In the phase-I, Cuttack would have 241 km of sewerage with two sewerage treatment plants (STP); and in the phase-II, there would be 134 km of sewerage. Bhubaneswar in phase-I would have 100 km of sewerage with one STP; and in phase-II, 136 km of sewerage with one STP.
The project costs have been estimated at Rs945 crore, which would be sourced from the JICA loan of Rs756.36 crore and the State share of Rs188.77 crore. The loan would be repaid within a period of 40 years at a rate of 0.75 per cent interest, in which there is a moratorium period of 10 years.
The projects would be implemented within a period of two years. By now, the detailed engineering plan has been completed. Project clearances from line agencies are in progress.
Similar sewerage projects for Sambalpur and Rourkela cities at estimated costs of Rs406 crore and Rs530 crore, respectively, have also been prepared and sent for the Government’s approval.
These facts came to fore during a review of the programmes at a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary BK Patnaik here.
