KENDRAPARA: Residents of Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district are a disgruntled lot after a 70-metre long stone-packed river embankment along Hansua river caved in on Sunday evening. They alleged the incident took place due to substandard work by the Water Resources department.
Ranjan Rout, a local, said the embankment was built around 10 years back. “Officials of the Water Resources department had not fixed the stones properly as a result a portion of it collapsed and the remaining part is also on the verge of crumbling down,” he added.
Locals complained that the river had been eating away land in their areas bit by bit. Though officials visited their villages many times, they did nothing to improve the situation. “If they do not take any prompt measure, our villages will be gobbled up by the river within a decade,” said Parikhita Sahoo, a retired school teacher of Rajnagar.
BJP leader and former MLA of Rajnagar Alekha Jena alleged that since the department failed to repair the river embankments in many areas of the district before monsoon, the fate of a large number of riverside villagers is now at stake.
Contacted, assistant engineer (AE) of the Water Resources department, Rajnagar division Bhanja Prasad Rout said it was a minor mishap.“Senior officials of the department reached the spot on Monday to take stock of the situation. Reconstruction of the damaged patch of the stone embankment is currently in full swing,” he added.