BHAWANIPATNA: People living in villages cut off by the Indravati reservoir in Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi can finally heave a sigh of relief as the delayed bridge link to mainland is slated to be completed in a year. Construction work has commenced on Mahulpatna-Gopinathpur road.
The delay in construction of the bridge has compounded the woes of villagers who face a lot of difficulties in availing basic facilities like healthcare and collection of PDS ration at the nearest panchayat in Talnagi. The only means left for these villagers is to commute by boats to any part of the district.
Once completed, the bridge is expected to cater to the needs of around 3,000 villagers of Podapadar panchayat. Around 1,816 residents of 17 villages in Podapadar and Maligaon panchayats were cut off from the mainland in 1985 when the reservoir water submerged all landmasses around the panchayat, leaving villagers, mostly tribals, water-locked.
The affected villages include Ghutrukhal, Tentulipadar, Karubadi, Litimaska, Bhitardunga, Sarfas, Temra, Jhiri, Bhurbhuri, Taltemram, Dheptemra, Talginjimal, Uppar Gunjimal, Kalati, Talpanga, Katrupat and K Cheptaghat. Though they were provided with rehabilitation and compensation packages, villagers preferred to stay at their ancestral places.
“Many promises were made to us but none implemented. With connectivity issues on the verge of being resolved, economic uplift of villagers will be possible and they won’t have to lead a life of deprivation anymore,” said Mani Majhi, sarpanch of Podapadar.
“Transportation of materials is challenging but we are doing our best to ensure that the work gets completed within the stipulated time,” said Ajit Kumar Babu, superintending engineer of Public Works department.
Tenders were floated thrice in 2017 but no bidder evinced interest due to the difficult nature of the work as carrying construction materials inside the reservoir was risky. Tenders were again invited on turnkey basis in 2018 but there was only a single bidder and hence, it was not accepted.
The project cost was revised to `55 crore and finally approved with work order issued in February 2021. The 400-metre long bridge will be built across Indravati reservoir and is slated to be completed by March, 2023. Construction work has commenced on Mahulpatna-Gopinathpur road. Although population of the affected villages is around 1,816 (including 1,487 in the ST category), the bridge is expected to cater to the needs of around 3,000 villagers of Podapadar panchayat once completed.
Auction of sarpanch post: Inquiry begins
Balangir: The district administration of Balangir has initiated inquiry into the alleged auctioning of sarpanch post for Rs 44,000 in Bileisarda panchayat of Puintala block. The Additional District Magistrate (ADM) and Block Development Officer (BDO) of Puintala on Tuesday visited the panchayat for further investigation. The officials will submit a report on their findings to the Collector who in turn will send it to the State Election Commission. On Friday, one of the candidates for the sarpanch post Sushant Kumar Chhatria reportedly won a bid to the post after he pledged Rs 44,000 for development of the local Jagannath temple and won the unanimous support of villagers.