Bridge: Villagers demand proper bridge over Kolab reservoir | Bhubaneswar News
Koraput: Residents of around 138 villages under Koraput, Lamataput and Nandapur blocks in the district are crossing the Kolab reservoir using a narrow pathway attached to an old railway bridge for years to reach the district headquarters.
In the mid-1980s large tracts of land were acquired for constructing the Kolab reservoir as a part of the Kolab multi-purpose irrigation project, cutting off the villages from the district headquarters.
A narrow 2-feet pathway attached to the railway bridge is now the only mode of connectivity for the villagers.
“The railway bridge, often used for crossing the reservoir, poses serious threat to our safety. It’s a nightmare to cross the river during any emergency. Many accidents have occurred but the administration has not responded to our pleas for a more sturdy bridge,” said Ranjit Naik, a resident of Suku panchayat.
The villagers said that though their panchayat is just a 15-minute drive from Koraput town, they are forced to travel nearly 100 km via Nandapur to reach the district headquarters. This is not only affecting farmers trying to sell their produce in Koraput town but also poses severe challenges for students and patients, villagers said.
“We reside so close to the district headquarters but remain cut-off due to the lack of a proper bridge. During elections, politicians visit our villages and make promises to address our problems, but they forget us after the polls,” alleged Raghu Naik, another villager. He said the authorities and elected representatives have not yet responded to multiple appeals on the issue.
Debadutta Behera, junior engineer, rural works department (Koraput), said the delay in construction was due to changes in the bridge’s design from an initial width of 7 m to 10 m along with slight changes in the alignment. However, additional chief engineer (rural works), Prabhakar Behera, said, “Tender for constructing a 500-m long bridge at a budget of around Rs 60 crore has been finalised. Work will begin soon.”
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