KENDRAPARA: A 105-metre bamboo bridge over Gobari river collapsed on Friday cutting off connectivity to 20 villages in Mahakalapada and Rajnagar blocks of the district.The bridge collapsed at Milanaboda village under Mahakalapada block. No one was, however, injured as the mishap occured early in the morning and there were no people on it. The alternative concrete bridge of the same length at Milanmoda is yet to be completed even after five years due to the apathetic attitude of the authorities.
“Construction work of the concrete bridge was started in 2014 and was to be completed in two years at a cost of Rs 14.7 crore. Though three years have passed beyond the deadline, work on the bridge is moving at a snail’s pace forcing people to depend on the bamboo bridge. After the collapse of bamboo bridge we are now dependent on rickety country boats to cross the river,” said Sahadev Jena of Pankapala.
The villagers said if they take the available alterative route they will have to cover 14 km and one more hour of journey to reach the two blocks, said Ashok Mandal of Tarapada village.Executive Engineer of Roads and Building Department of Kendrapara, Pradipta Kumar Mohanty said, “The bamboo bridge was built two years back and was meant for pedestrians and two-wheelers only.
Some persons recently took away a few bamboos from the bridge as a result the bridge became weak and caved in. We will soon repair the bridge.”Work on the concrete bridge is on. Two out of three wells have been built but progress has been affected as some locals are obstructing work by not allowing acquisition of their land near the bridge, he added.