Sambalpur: Barrage project along the Mahanadi Bridge in Reservoir

Sambalpur: The state government has been demanding the construction of a bridge with a bridge at the bottom of the river in Sambalpur for many years. With the implementation of this project, the water problem of the people of Sambalpur can be solved with the enhancement of the beauty of the city. However, the project could not proceed because of the lack of sincerity of the state government. There has been widespread outrage.

Anikot from Sambalpur to Chaurpur on the Mahanadi River is now out of date in view of the need for time in the 60s. Prior to the construction of the Hirakud Dam, people used to use the river’s two banks during the off-season. The Anikot, about 1,700 meters long and an average of 2 meters high, was built on the city’s river from Hatpada Ghat to Chaurpur due to the low flow of water from the north of the dam. The Anikot was built during the reign of the late Banamali Babu, Minister of Urban Development and Law. Lake Anikot was named after Sushila Bihar on the Ayodhya lake and the concrete road on the banks of the river. Although the Marina Bridge was built in Chennai, Sushila Bihar was demolished due to lack of maintenance. Sushila Bihar was also left underground after the construction of the ring road on the 1997. However, cracks have now formed in some parts of the anicut, while its water storage capacity has been reduced.

For a long time now, people have been claiming that the construction of a new Anikot could once again create a beautiful lake in Sambalpur. In 2014, the district administration proposed to the state government’s Department of Urban Development and Water Resources to build a barrage along the bridge. The then district commissioner also discussed the matter with the then Minister for Urban Development and Water Resources. The chief minister’s attention was drawn to the green light for the project. A DPR7 was prepared by the Department of Water Resources, and it was approved by the Technical Advisory Committee. It was proposed to build on the river from the Nelson Mandela Kacheri Ghat to the Jhankarpalli area around the Second Mahanadi Bridge. It is estimated that the length of the Mahanadi Bridge will be about 1,600 meters and the length of the barrage will be 1,800 meters. With a water conservancy of about 5lakh people, the Sambalpur metropolitan area can be used to balance the environment. It was hoped that this would help in the creation of artificial lake water on the other side of the river, especially in agriculture and forestry. Due to the construction of the ring road and the second river bridge, the river can be an attractive tourist destination. The importance of the lake in terms of tourism will increase.

However, this ambitious project has not been able to move forward due to the lack of sincerity of the state government. Many bridges have been built on the river in Cuttack. Many projects are being undertaken for the benefit of the people. However, many say the state government does not care about Sambalpur. After the BJP lost control of the Sambalpur Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in 2019, the state government is not paying much attention to the development of Sambalpur.