Constructed a year ago, embankment road sinks in Puri; low-quality work alleged  

A stretch of 200-foot-long Devi river embankment road in Puri district caved in on Sunday, triggering fear among the local residents. 

The embankment of the Devi river in Kakatpur of Puri district is under the Water Resources department. This embankment is a sensitive one. A year ago, the river embankment road between Bauriakan and Khandasahi was constructed spending crores of rupees under a government scheme. 

Today, local residents had a shock of their lives when they spotted the road having caved in at several places. 

Ascribing the low-quality work to the subsidence, the local residents urged the administration to take immediate measures to get the embankment repaired. 

“One-and-a-half years ago the road was repaired. Recently, they repaired the road in a casual manner. This is why, cracks had developed on the road in the last month and today the entire stretch has sunk,” said a local resident. 

Expressing his concern, an elderly resident said, “While constructing the road, they had laid out a layer of soil before laying out a layer of asphalt. When it came in contact with water, the soil layer underneath the asphalt became wet, leading to the subsidence. We have urged the administration to take early measures to address the issue.”