Sans roads and public transport, Malkangiri's Gurupriya bridge fails to breach divide

A reality check revealed that despite the presence of Gurupriya bridge, villagers of four panchayats take a 4-5 hour arduous motor launch journey through Balimela reservoir to reach Chitrakonda
Construction of road from Darlabeda to Kunturpada in Jodamba underway (Photo | Express)
Construction of road from Darlabeda to Kunturpada in Jodamba underway (Photo | Express)

MALKANGIRI: Three years have passed since Gurupriya Bridge was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik but villagers of at least four panchayats - Panasput, Jantri, Gajalmamudi and Jodamba continue to remain cut off from the mainland.

The bridge that was built in 2018 with the objective of connecting 151 villages under Chitrakonda block has not helped the villagers in these four panchayats due to the absence of roads and public transport. A reality check revealed that villagers of these four panchayats take a 4-5 hour arduous motor launch journey through Balimela reservoir to reach Chitrakonda, from where they move forward for official and personal work.

Of the nine panchayats, Gajalmamudi, Jodamba, Panasput, Papermetla, Ralegada, Dhuliput, Badpada and Andrapalli have got partial road connectivity while Jantri, considered the Maoist hotbed and situated bordering Andhra Pradesh is still cut-off from the rest of Swabhiman Anchal due to lack of roads and public transport facility.

As per reports, of the 31 roads sanctioned at an estimated cost of about Rs 116 crore under PMGSY (which aims to cover 230 km stretch road across the nine panchayats in Swabhiman anchal), 18 roads spanning 130 km have been completed covering 100 villages. Work on the rest of the roads is going on, Rural Development Division-I sources here said.

Similarly, of the 15 roads sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 48.52 crore under SETU, two roads spanning 91 km have been completed covering 30 villages. Work is in progress on the rest of the roads. Eight of the nine panchayats have already got partial road connectivity and by March this year, other than Jantri, all other panchayats will get connected, sources further added.

The bridge has not helped us as people of 21 villages under Panasput panchayat opt for government-run motor launch from the ghat at Ghanabeda to reach Chitrakonda, said Rama Chandra Hantal of Ghanabeda village. “Traveling by road to Chitrakonda is expensive as private vehicles charge Rs 100 for one side fare as there is no public transport available. On the other hand, we pay Rs 5 if we opt for motor launch even though it takes five hours to reach Chitrakonda,” Hantal said.

Echoing similar sentiments was another villager Laba Khara. “In absence of pucca road and public transport facilities, villagers will not benefit from the bridge,” Khara said. However, expressing happiness over the ongoing construction of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY ) and Socio-Economic Transformation and Upliftment’ (SETU) scheme, Khara urged the government to expedite road construction works.

Seven more roads at an estimated cost of about Rs 70-80 crore are also being constructed by the Roads & Building Division to provide road connectivity to 40 villages covering the 55 km stretch. The construction work of all seven roads is in full swing.

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