Box drain not feasible in 810m Cuttack stretch: Panel

Cuttack: An expert committee formed by Orissa high court has endorsed the decision of Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) to cut short the 3.5km-long proposed box drain planned under the sewerage and drainage project in Cuttack from Buxi Bazar to Matru Bhawan.
The HC sought the assistance of the expert committee after a petition sought intervention alleging the residents of wards 36 and 37 along the 810-metre stretch from Chhatra Bazar to Matru Bhawan will face unhygienic conditions and difficulty due to the open drain.Corporator of ward no. 37, Jatin Kumar Behera, filed the petition.
The expert committee in its report submitted on Thursday before the special bench constituted for adjudicating on PILs concerning civic problems in Cuttack said it is technically not feasible to build the box drain over the 810-m stretch without affecting the existing buildings situated in the close vicinity.
Instead, the expert committee opined “for construction of open drain from Chhatra Bazar to Matrubhavan, ensuring safety of life and structures on both sides of drains.”