Relief in sight: Underground drain to evacuate rain waters in Odisha capital

Bhubaneswar: In a major development that would bring much-needed relief to denizens in the capital city, the Odisha government is mulling to construct an underground drain that will ease the recurring water-logging issue in front of ISKCON temple in Nayapalli area here.

After attending a high-level meeting at Secretariat, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said the government will construct an underground drain from its own funds and take steps to restore natural drainage channel in the city.

In a related development, the state government has approved construction of a box cell storm water drain connecting drainage channel-4 near Acharya Vihar at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore.

In a letter issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner has been intimated about the approval of the tender proposal for the work submitted by the civic body on July 11.

After construction of this box cell storm water drain, rain water will be smoothly evacuated in Acharya Vihar area.

Earlier, the Cuttack drainage division of the Water Resources Department had undertaken the construction of the box drain for a 570-metre stretch with a cost of over Rs 10 crore. However, after completion of a portion of the drain, the work was later transferred to the drainage division of BMC. The Corporations’s drainage division will now complete the rest 377 metre work of the box drain.