Work on the Urse barrage across the Surya River in Palghar district remains incomplete despite repeated extensions, prompting residents to demand that the contract be withdrawn and the remaining construction assigned to a new contractor.
The barrage is one of five Konkan-style chain barrages approved on the Surya River to support drinking water and irrigation needs in villages across Palghar district, while also benefiting the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation and other riverbank settlements. Construction on the five projects began in January 2021, with an original completion period of 36 months ending in January 2024.
According to a report by Loksatta, four of the five barrages — at Ghol, Chinchare, Ambivli and Gargav — were completed within the planned period. The Urse project, however, has remained unfinished. The report identified J.G. Champanerkar as the contractor responsible for the work.
The Palghar Irrigation Department has received an approved allocation of Rs 16.64 crore for the Urse barrage. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority had directed that the work be completed by June 30, 2026. The deadline has passed, but construction is still incomplete, according to the report.
Residents have alleged that the contractor has repeatedly delayed the project. The report said work has been restarted at the beginning of May in successive years and stopped in June before the monsoon, limiting the period available for construction. Residents have now called for the contractor to be removed and for the remaining work to be completed through a new agency.
The five-barrage plan was prepared in the context of longstanding concerns over water availability in parts of Palghar district. The Surya River and Surya dam project supply water to Vasai-Virar and Mira-Bhayandar, but local residents have previously opposed the transfer of water to urban areas while villages in Dahanu, Vikramgad and Palghar talukas face drinking water and irrigation shortages. The Pani Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has held protests over the issue, according to Loksatta.
The five barrages received financial assistance of Rs 70.40 crore from the MMRDA. Together, they are expected to create approximately 2.29 million cubic metres of storage in the Surya riverbed. The stored water is intended to help raise groundwater levels, reduce summer drinking-water shortages and support farming and horticulture along the river. The barrage walls are also expected to provide alternative crossings between villages on both sides of the river.
Sachin Patil, executive engineer of the Palghar Irrigation Department, told Loksatta that he would visit the incomplete barrage site personally. He said the department would assess the reasons for the delay and issue directions to the contractor to complete the work urgently after the monsoon.
