The administration has initiated efforts to renovate the Ramlingam tank, a large reservoir at the heart of Berhampur, which is in a dilapidated condition.
With the collapse of portions of its embankments, portions of roads alongside the tank have also collapsed.
A portion of its embankment along with a section of road by its side had collapsed on the southern side of the tank sometime back. The Phailin cyclone and continuous rains thereafter had led to collapse of a portion on the eastern side. What is worse is that the tank is located in a crowded portion of the city which has three film halls and several eateries.
If a breach of its embankment occurs, it may lead to flooding of densely populated localities like Gandhi Nagar and Dharma Nagar.
Such a danger would increase during monsoon.
At the instruction of the Ganjam district administration, a four-member technical team comprising officials of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA), the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Irrigation department visited the spot to take stock of things and steps to save the water body. This team would furnish its report to Ganjam Collector.
A tussle between the BMC and a private trust over ownership of the tank is said to be the major reason behind deterioration of the water body called “breathing space” of this cramped city. In 2011, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik intervened to save this tank. At his initiation, the tank cleaning started in February 2011. The BMC authorities convinced the trustees that the tank could not be allowed to die. It was important to take up its renovation as the trust was not taking any steps. But the tussle proved to be a stumbling block. The government had decided to renovate the tank through the Irrigation department. According to sources, a project worth around Rs. five crore was conceived. But the Irrigation department could not start its work.
