BHADRAK: For the people of 10 panchayats in Chandbali and Basudevpur blocks in Bhadrak district,monsoon brings with it the fear of isolation from the mainland. The promises by political parties before every election to connect Baliapal and Charbatia ghats of river Montei have fallen flat. Thousands of people use ropeoperated boats to cross the river, which separates Basudevpur and Chandbali, to reach places on the other side of the iver. In fact, the bridge has been an age-old demand of the people of the two blocks, for whom the dangerous rickety boats are the only hope.
In view of the operation of Dhamra port, bridge over the river at Baliapal ghat and Charbatia hat is inevitable but no steps are being taken in this direction. The rickety country boats are operated with the help of ropes that are tied on both sides of the river. The boatman pulls the rope to propel the boat which is unsafe for commuters. During strong wind, the boat is rendered useless as it cannot be propelled by rope, villagers said. “The river is deep in this area and due to tidal effect, we have to tie ropes on both sides of the river to ply,” said SukantaMajhi, a boatman. Though people find it extremely dangerous to use the boats, they have no other option. This arrangement stops during the monsoon when the river is in spate and people are marooned. Thepeople of Chandbai find it difficult to travel to Dhamra port and Basudevpur town for business and jobswhere most of the offices are located.
“People of more than 10 panchayats in both the constituencies depend on Baliapal ghat country boats for daily communication. The traffic of Baliapal ghat has increased in the last few years as Bhadrak-Chandbali road is under construction,” said former sarpanch Badal Majhi. Charibatia hat also finds mention in history when Mahatma Gandhi had come to Charbatia through country boat in 1927, said Niranjan Behera, Secretary, Charibatia Gandhi Smruti Bhavan. Proposal to construct a bridge over river Montei at Balighat and Charbatia was mooted by the State Government decades back and the project was included in Rural Infrastructure Development Programme (RIDP). Road and Building department was entrusted to carry out the project, said former MLA Bijaya Nayak. But, no progress has yet been made, he alleged. The Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone for the two bridges in February, 2015. But the Rural Development Division is silent about the progress of the work. Sources said no funds have been sanctioned for the bridges.