Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal Senior Vice President Shri Debi Prasad Mishra has raised concerns regarding the progress of the Hadua Medium Irrigation Project, which is a vital resource for the farmers of Badamba and Narasinghpur.
According to Shri Mishra, the main components of the project, including the dam and associated infrastructure, were inaugurated by former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2024. At that time, a target was set to launch the underground pipeline canal system and ensure water reached the farmers by 2025.
However, Shri Mishra pointed out that a lack of prompt decision-making over the last 20 months has led to significant delays. He has now urged for the completion of the canal system and the associated power generation facilities by the 2026 financial year.
Providing a historical perspective on the project, Shri Mishra noted that the decision to move forward with the initiative was taken by the Naveen Patnaik government in 2000. Following this, various essential clearances were secured, including the first phase of approval from the Central Water Commission and the Forest and Environment Department in March 2001.
Subsequent approvals for rehabilitation from the Tribal Affairs Department were obtained in 2004, followed by the second phase of forest and environmental clearances in 2007. The project’s infrastructure and administrative offices were formally initiated by the then Chief Minister in Narasinghpur.
To address the financial requirements of the project, Shri Mishra played a key role in ensuring that the Planning Commission and the Finance Department included this medium irrigation project under the NABARD Rural Infrastructure Development Fund for the first time. The project faced several technical shifts over the years, transitioning from an initial earth dam design to a concrete dam. These changes were approved during the 87th Technical Committee meeting in 2015.
Although the project faced a temporary halt due to the implementation of mega-lift irrigation systems, it was revived in 2017 under the direction of the then Chief Minister. By 2020, following the 102nd state-level technical committee meeting, the government sanctioned a total budget of 673 crore rupees. The construction of the main dam and spillway, costing approximately 250 crore rupees, reached its final stages by 2024, while 224 crore rupees were allocated for the underground canal system.
In addition to the irrigation infrastructure, the project includes road connectivity. While two bridges were initially planned to connect the dam area with Mahakali Peetha, an additional 30 crore rupees was sanctioned in 2024 for a direct road. Furthermore, a rehabilitation colony at Kanseilo has been constructed at a cost of approximately 15 crore rupees.
Shri Mishra highlighted that the project site had faced closures for over three weeks last year, causing public concern regarding its execution. He has called for the immediate acceleration of the work to ensure that water is supplied for the Rabi crop season in the designated agricultural areas as originally planned.