Berhampur: Cutting across party lines, corporators of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) have expressed concern over the slow progress of the World Bank-aided Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP) worth Rs 180 crore in this south Odisha city.
The project includes development of 85 slum pockets, repair and widening of major and interconnecting road stretching across 7.60 km, renovation of storm water drain and restoration of water supply line from Kalibali to Ankuli, official sources said.
The state government had signed the financial agreement for the project on July 11, 2014, and targeted to complete it by March 31, 2019.
The corporation has received Rs 80 crore for the project work in the last two years. All the projects, except for renovation of water supply line, are hanging fire, the corporators felt.
The ODRP is an initiative to improve the town's infrastructure severely damaged in Phailin, which made a landfall at Gopalpur on October 12, 2013.
"There has been no progress in the ODRP even after two years. The corporators have every right to know the reasons behind the delay in the implementation of the project," said Anil Nayak (Congress) after a meeting of BMC yesterday.
The corporators stressed the need for regular review of the work being carried out under the project.
"The private consultancy assigned the task to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the project has sought time till May 30. After getting the approval of the government and the World Bank, we will float global tender," said Commissioner of the Corporation, Manoj Mohanty.
He said March 30 was the earlier deadline for preparing the DPR. The corporation meeting also discussed implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the town and inclusion of those left out of the scheme.
The commissioner said 24,600 beneficiaries had already received ration cards and another 9,200 ration cards have reached the corporation. "These will be distributing in the next two to three days. We will consider another 1,000 applications," he said.