TV
Tension erupted in Nachinda village under Bhograi block of Balasore district on Thursday night after villagers raised objections over substandard road construction work. The incident occurred during the night while the work was underway in the presence of a Junior Engineer (JE).
According to sources, the road construction, funded with Rs 2 lakh sanctioned by the MLALAD Fund, had already begun. However, villagers alleged that the ongoing work is of poor quality.
When they confronted the Junior Engineer about the substandard material and execution, he allegedly ignored their concerns and continued the work, sources added.
As the situation escalated, angry villagers gathered and surrounded the JE, demanding an immediate halt to the project. The real condition of the roadwork came to light only after the top layer was removed in front of the official.
Eventually, the Junior Engineer was forced to stop the work. The villagers have demanded strict action and quality assurance before resumption.
“The concreting is very poor. While at some places it is just two inches thick, in some places it is just one inch,” alleged a local.
“The road construction was done earlier, and now the repair work is underway. As the road near the turning point was damaged, I have asked to repair it otherwis,e I will not sanction the bill. No payment has been made,” said Tribikram Samantaray, JE.
