MALKANGIRI: Even as construction of the main road to Badaguda under Kattapalli panchayat in Malkangiri’s Mathili block bordering Chhattisgarh is nearing completion, the proposed 58-metre bridge over Akur river on the same route is yet to see the light of the day.
Sanctioned under the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana-Transferred Road Improvement Programme (MMSY-TRIP) in 2023-24, the bridge project is yet to take off even as the road work is progressing at a rapid pace.
Kattapalli sarpanch Nala Durua said many families in Badaguda have relatives in villages across the border in Chhattisgarh. Due to absence of a bridge over Akur river, relatives on both sides of the border remain cut off from each other. Once constructed, the bridge would connect the area with Chhattisgarh and provide access to Jagdalpur, Sukma, and Tongpal.
Villagers from the Chhattisgarh side of the border recently submitted a memorandum to the Malkangiri collector seeking his intervention for early construction of the bridge, said Raghunath Pujari, naib sarpanch of Oler in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district.
Superintending engineer of Rural Development department Sujata Disari said the road and bridge projects were sanctioned under MMSY-TRIP in 2023-24. Due to heavy rainfall and flash floods in 2024, the span of the bridge had to be increased and revised hydraulic particulars were submitted to the chief engineer for approval of a modified design.
“Initially, the span length was 40 metre, which has now been increased to approximately 58 metre. The agency has expressed willingness to change the well foundation design to a pile foundation to expedite completion of the bridge work. The proposal has been sent to the Rural Development chief engineer for approval,” said Disari.
She added that once the revised design receives approval, the contractor who has been awarded the road project along with the bridge construction will be asked to begin work immediately and no fresh tender will be floated.
Malkangiri collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay said the district administration is aware of the situation and will soon find a solution to the issue. Sources in the executing agency said construction will start once the revised design is approved and communicated to them.