Cuttack: Orissa high court has set a clear timeline for finalising the design of Rs 496-crore Branch Storm Water Channel (BSWC) project, a key anti-urban flooding initiative for Cuttack, after deficiencies were flagged in the initial plans.Hearing the matter on Thursday, a two-judge bench of Justices K R Mohapatra and V Narasingh reviewed the progress made by Water Corporation of Odisha (Watco) and took note of objections raised by IIT-Bhubaneswar during scrutiny of the detailed project reports (DPRs). The court directed Watco to file a fresh affidavit, detailing progress, by April 20 and posted the matter for hearing on April 23.The project involves construction of five major BSWCs under Cuttack Municipal Corporation. The court is also overseeing revetting of the DPRs by IIT-Bhubaneswar to ensure technical soundness and timely execution.Taking note of what it described as the “sensitive nature” of the project, the court also directed the managing director (MD) of Watco and two experts from IIT-Bhubaneswar to participate in the proceedings.In an affidavit, Watco MD Debabrata Mohanty informed the court that IIT-Bhubaneswar had made several observations on both structural and hydraulic aspects of the project, necessitating a fresh survey and revision of designs.Acting on the institute’s suggestions, Watco carried out a resurvey between Feb 16 and 22, including a drone-based assessment.The agency is now preparing a revised hydraulic design based on the new survey data. The report is expected to be completed by March 6 and submitted the next day for vetting by IIT-Bhubaneswar.Appearing virtually, IIT experts Arindam Sarkar and Sumanta Haldar assured the court that any required modifications would be finalised and conveyed to Watco by March 12.The structural design, which hinges on the finalisation of hydraulic parameters, will thereafter be prepared in consultation with the IIT experts. Watco told the court it would submit the revised structural design by March 31. The institute, in turn, said that the vetted final structural design would be handed over by April 15.Once the design is approved, Watco will prepare a revised cost estimate and initiate the tender process for execution of the project, Mohanty said.The BSWC project is seen as a crucial step towards tackling the city’s recurring flooding problem due to waterlogging after rain.
