CS thrust on sustainable solution to drainage issues

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to tackle drainage issues plaguing several areas in the City, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja Friday chaired a high-level meeting that focused on urgent and sustainable solutions to persistent waterlogging and drainage challenges, particularly during monsoon. Key officials, including Housing and Urban Development department principal secretary Usha Padhee, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Rajesh Pravakar Patil and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) vice president N Thirumala Naik attended the meeting and discussed both short-term and long-term plans for resolving the drainage crisis.

At the meeting, the BMC Commissioner presented a detailed overview of the City’s drainage systems and stressed the need for better planning and execution of projects across various departments. City’s drainage network includes 15 main natural drains, spanning a total of 77.07km, with an extensive internal drainage system stretching over 1,839km. However, the distribution of this network spans multiple government departments, creating coordination challenges. Of the total length of the drains, 1,380km falls under BMC, 360.22km is managed by Works department, 65.02km by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), and 34.43km by National Highways Authority of India.

Despite these efforts, several areas in the City continue to grapple with blockage and waterlogging issues particularly in locations like ISKCON Temple Road, Cuttack Road, Ayurvedic Medical College Road near SUM Hospital, near City Women’s College, AIIMS area, and regions such as Bhagwanpur, Forest Park, Laxmisagar, Naharkanta and Rudrapur. An estimated expenditure of Rs 300 crore has been proposed urgent drainage construction and repair works. These funds will be sourced from National Disaster Management Fund, the State Disaster Management Fund, and other state funds.

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