Gaps BJD must ‘bridge’ in Kendrapara for rural polls

Nearly dozen bridges yet to be complete in remote areas of district
The incomplete bridge over Marsaghai-Jamboo canal in Kendrapara | Express
The incomplete bridge over Marsaghai-Jamboo canal in Kendrapara | Express

KENDRAPARA: Incomplete bridge projects are a poll issue in the coastal district, considered a stronghold of the ruling party, ahead of the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections.

Nearly a dozen of bridges is yet to be completed in remote pockets of Kendrapara though the ruling party leaders, at the time of laying foundation stones of the projects, had promised to complete the construction work within a year or two. The unkept promises are likely to impact the fate of BJD candidates in the rural polls.

One such incomplete project is the 50-metre-long bridge over the crocodile-infested Hansua river at Tantiapala village in Mahakalapada block. Seven years have passed since the project started but the construction work is yet to be completed.

In March 2014, the bailey bridge over the river collapsed at Tantiapala as a result of which around 30 villages of Mahakalapada and Rajnagar blocks with a population of 60,000 were cut off from the mainland. “When the bridge collapsed, authorities had announced to construct a new one in its place within six months. While construction work of the new bridge is moving at a snail’s pace, we are still cut off from the mainland,” said Nirupama Sethi of Bhopala village.

The deadline for completion of the bridge project has been missed several times. Due to the delay in construction of the bridge, a large number of villagers are depending on rickety country boats to cross the river.

Ramesh Mandal of Tantiapal village said during the General Elections in 2019, local MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak had promised to complete the bridge. However, its construction is still underway.

“Villagers have decided to boycott the coming rural polls since the local representatives have turned a blind eye to our difficulties,” Mandal said.

Similarly, construction of a 400-metre-long bridge over Jamboo-Marsaghai canal is yet to be complete due to slipshod attitude of the authorities.

Foundation stone for the bridge was laid in 2018 and the project was supposed to be completed within two years. However, after more than three years, the bridge is still incomplete. “Due to the delay, villagers of Kasati, Marsaghai, Tulasipur, Kusunpur, Manikunda and other villages are been facing a lot of problems. This time, a large number of voters in our area are against BJD,” claimed Pramod Samal of Kasati.

Contacted, senior BJD leader and former chairman of Kendrapara municipality Dhiren Sahoo, however, claimed his party will sweep the panchayat elections as the State government has carried out several welfare works in the district. “The government built around 12 bridges within five years in rural areas. In the last rural polls, BJD had won 22 of the total 32 Zilla Parishad seats. This time, BJD will win all the 32 seats,” he claimed.

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