ROURKELA: Work on the second Brahmani bridge, a part of NH-143 at Balughat, has been abruptly stopped. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had started the prelimnary construction work of the bridge a few months back. NHAI Project Director Sourav Chaurasia said work was stopped for design and land issues, which would be resolved within a week.
After much delay, the bridge work got green signal on May 23 with the NHAI issuing the mandatory ‘appointed date’ letter to the contract firm GKC Ltd following clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.
Against the estimated cost of Rs 582.83 crores of the first package towards rehabilitation and upgradation of NH-143 from Birmitrapur to Balughat (Rourkela) including construction of the six-lane second Brahmani bridge, the GKC Ltd bagged the contract for a lower cost at `381.75 crore. Till August-end, test piling of load pattern and drilling for the first abutment on Balughat side was complete, while test piling for other two abutments were underway. Test piling work at Dandiapali on the other side of Brahmani river was kept pending with a section of the affected tribal people refusing to give land for the approach road.
Former Congress MLA Pravat Mohapatra attributed the project imbroglio to failure of the BJP Government at the Centre, BJD Government in Odisha, Union Minister and Sundargarh BJP MP Jual Oram, Rourkela BJP legislator Dilip Ray and the Sundargarh administration. He asked without an approach road at Dandiapali, how the contractor would move heavy equipment and start work.
Odisha BJP secretary Dhiren Senapati said the contract firm has reservations in starting the work due to protest by a small section of Dandiapali villagers, but he hoped that work would start shortly. He also sought intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to sort out the land issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced to complete the project at the earliest on April 1, 2015. The delay continues to provide political fodder to BJP’s opponents including the BJD.
