The construction work of the main road along Prem Nagar under Berhampur Municipal Corporation is yet to be fully completed even after seven years of its inception, thanks to the alleged apathy of the administration. As a result, local residents and commuters have expressed their resentment as they are facing a lot of problems in their daily communication.
Several residents of Berhampur depend on Prem Nagar main road for daily communication. It is even considered a ‘bypass’ for the city commuters. The renovation of the road was undertaken in 2016. However, it is yet to be completed even after seven years causing hardships for the residents in the area.
Due to the undergoing construction activities along the road, the nearby drain water is often overflowing with little rain and deluging the road. With iron rods being exposed, the condition of the road has become dangerous for commuters. Making things worse, slabs on the drain have been removed at places which could be a threat to the lives of the people.
Though the local people have been repeatedly requesting to expedite the construction work, the administration is allegedly not paying any heed to their pleas.
“Around 40,000 to 50,000 people depend on the road for communication on a daily basis. However, they are facing a lot of problems due to the under-constructed road. Mainly, school and college students are having hardships in their daily communication. Some of them have even fallen into the open drain. The construction work has been going on in a sluggish manner. Nobody has an idea when the construction work will be fully completed,” said Saroj Prasad Patra, a local resident.
“The authorities are only giving false assurances. However, there has been no end to the plight of the commuters. Even with a little amount of rain, people find it difficult to differentiate between the road and the drain. Many people have faced severe accidents due to the shoddy condition of the under-constructed road,” said Tatsat Subudhi, a local resident.
As per reports, construction work was undertaken along the road under Odisha Disaster Rehabilitation project. An expenditure of Rs 46 crore was estimated for underground cabling and drain construction work along both sides of the road. An initial deadline of December 2018 was set for the project. However, it was extended twice due to the tardy progress. Even, Ganjam Collector had earlier assured of the completion of the project work by December 2023. However, it could not be materialised.
“We request the administration to finish the project at the earliest as the commuters here are facing many problems,” said Sharmila Jain, a local resident.
No comment could be obtained from the Commissioner or the Mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation over the allegations.