JAJPUR: With the Baruan-Bari state highway submerged in floodwaters of Brahmani, tractors have become the lone mode of transport on the four-km stretch between Siba chowk and Chudakala chowk.
The highway stretch has been cut-off since the past two days with around four feet of floodwater flowing over the road, restricting movement of motorcycles and cars. At least four tractors have been ferrying passengers across the stretch for the past two days. The flooding has severely disrupted normal life and daily activities in the area.
On Wednesday, Arun Kumar Sen (52) was travelling to his native Bari Daragha village. However, he was stranded at Siba chowk and had to wait for hours for a tractor. Even after the tractor arrived, he had to wait for other passengers for the trip.
“The driver charged `100 per person to ferry passengers across the submerged stretch. He said there should be at least seven to eight passengers for a trip or I would have to reserve the tractor for `800 for a one-way journey,” Sen said.
Tractor driver Pitamber Das said `100 per person, including for those carrying motorcycles, was reasonable as the money covered fuel costs and wages of three persons engaged in ferrying people on the tractor through the floodwaters.
“We take seven to eight people on our tractor at a time. After dropping them on the other side, sometimes there is no one waiting to return. So we have to come back without any passenger. Hence, `100 per person is not excessive. The fare covers the fuel cost and wages of the three people engaged in the work. We make about six round trips a day,” Das said.
Notably, several private buses ply between Bari and Bhubaneswar everyday. However, the buses cannot travel directly to Bari from the Baruan end and have to halt near Siba chowk due to the inundation.
A similar flood in 2020 had submerged the Baruan-Bari road, leaving thousands of local residents in distress. Residents claimed they have repeatedly demanded that the Baruan-Bari state highway be raised to prevent it from being submerged during floods. But no action has been taken in this regard so far.