Bhubaneswar, Jan 3:  After 23 years of controversy, the much-awaited Lower Suktel Irrigation Project of Bolangir district has been completed. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the project today and dedicated the project to the people. 

On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that the Lower Suktel Project, the lifeline of Balangir district would transform the life of farmers. The project would go a long way in mitigating the plight of farmers of the region by providing them with irrigation facilities, he said.

Constructed with a cost of Rs 2723 crore, the project is set to benefit the people of 203 villages in Balangir and Sonepur districts. It will irrigate more than one lakh acres of agricultural land and benefit over 80,000 farmers, besides providing drinking water facilities for 70,000 people in the area.

Now, It is believed that this project would be a trump card for the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the forthcoming election. But the opposition Congress allegedly said that the inauguration of the project is just to take credit in electoral politics. But It will not serve the purpose. 

The Congress MLA Narasingh Mishra from Bolangir said that there is no water in the Dam, how it would provide the water to the farmers? He questioned.   

Similarly, Loisingha BJP MLA Mukesh Mahaling said “The project is being launched in haste. This is all electioneering” 

 The Lower Suktel irrigation project covers three assembly constituencies- Bolangir and Loisingha assembly constituencies of Bolangir district and Sonepur assembly constituency of Sonepur district. Out of the three assembly constituencies, two (Balangir and Loisingha) are represented by the Oppostion Congress and BJP. 

Now, it is said that BJD will play the Lower Suktel project as a trump card in the forthcoming election. 

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