State to get four WB, ADB-assisted projects

The Orissa government will soon sign agreement with the Government of India (GoI) and the donor agencies for 4 important World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted projects in the state.

The agreement is likely to be signed in next one month, official sources said.

The projects to be implemented are Rs 1432 crore Orissa State Road Project (OSRP), Rs 546 crore Orissa Community Tanks Management Project (OCTMP), Rs 315 crore Targeted Rural Initiative for Poverty Termination and Infrastructure (TRIPTI) and Rs 1250 crore Orissa Integrated Irrigated Agriculture and Water Management Project (OIIAWMP).

The agreement will be tripartite in nature with the state government, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), GoI and the respective donor agencies namely the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) being the signatories. The negotiations for these loans have been completed.

The World Bank has agreed to provide loans for OSRP, OCTMP and TRIPTI programmes and ADB has agreed to provide loan for OIIAWMP being implemented by the water resources department of the Orissa government.

A team of senior officials of the Orissa government headed by the Development Commissioner recently held discussion on these Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) with senior Planning Commission (PC) officials in New Delhi. The Planning Commission is reported to have given the green signal for signing of the agreement, official sources said.

The Orissa government is seeking approximately 250 million dollar from the World Bank for the Orissa State Road Project being implemented by the works department.

Under the project, 461 kms of road are proposed to be improved to two lane-road with paved shoulder and reconstruction of a bridge on Bansadhara near Gumuda. The project includes development of Anandapur-Bhadrakh-Chandbali, Chandbali-Pattamundai-Kendarapada-Jagatpur, Berhampur-TaptapaniRaipanga-JK Pur and Bhawanipatna-Khariar patches. The agreement may be signed this week, sources added. Similarly, under the Orissa Community Tanks Management Project being implemented by the water resources department, the World Bank will provide loan assistance of Rs 358.5 crore while Rs 119.5 crore is expected to come as grant from the Union government. Sources said, the state government’s share in the project will be Rs 49crore with the beneficiary contribution pegged at Rs 19crore.

Meanwhile, the World Bank loan for TRIPTI implemented by the panchayatiraj department has been finalized. The discussions for ADB loan for Orissa Integrated Irrigated Agriculture and Water Management Project has also been completed. These four projects will be added to the list of EAPs during 2009-10.