CUTTACK: With the only road lying in bad shape and the Rural Development department turning a blind eye to the situation, the bordering village of Patasura in the district has been cut off from the mainland for more than 20 days. The road stretching from Katikata to Brajaraj Patana is in such a pathetic condition that the villagers are not even able to walk on it. Sources said children of Patasura have not attended school since the onset of monsoon as vehicles are unable to reach the village due to the muddy road.
As ambulance services remain out of bounds, villagers are forced to carry patients on their shoulders to nearby hospitals. Accidents have become a regular affair on the muddy road. On Tuesday, after much persuasion, a taxi driver had agreed to ferry a patient suffering from gastroenteric ailments to the hospital. While returning from the village with the patient, the vehicle got stuck in the mud and fell into the adjacent canal. All the three persons travelling in the vehicle including the driver and the attendant sustained injuries in the mishap.
As per reports, the RD department had sanctioned `4 crore for widening and repair of the 2.8 km road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Work on the road commenced from November 25, 2016 and was scheduled to be completed by October 24, 2017. However, the road is yet to be repaired due to negligence of the officials concerned, the sources said. Contacted, Assistant Executive Engineer of Nischintakoili RD sub division Deepak Mohanty said the road was assigned to Orissa Construction Corporation which subleased it to a Kendrapara-based contractor. Despite repeated warnings, the contractor is delaying the work, he said.
“We have issued a closure notice to the contractor three months back and it is up to the Chief Engineer to take a decision on the matter,” Mohanty added.Meanwhile, the villagers have urged the district administration to make the road motorable at the earliest.