Malkangiri: The much-awaited Gurupriya Bridge, which will connect the cut-off areas with Malkangiri district, is likely to miss deadline again for the fourth time.
As work for construction of the 910-metre long bridge is going on a tardy pace, doubts are being raised on completion of the project by February.
Three steel girders of the bridge are yet to be erected. While 70% of railing work is yet to be done, 80% of gridding work remains incomplete. Stone packing and colour works have not started yet. Similarly the 1,200 metre approach road is half-done.
“The work is going on at a snail’s pace,” said Pabitra, a resident of the cut-off area, adding that the bridge work is likely to continue till April as visible from the incomplete work so far.
However, officials of the contract organization and government emphatically stated the Gurupriya bridge work will be over in February as per the deadline.
Niranjan Kumar, project manager, Royal Infra, said, “Most of the pending work will be completed by the first week of February. Deck slab work will be completed by the month-end.”
Suresh Mishra, Junior Engineer of Works department, Malkangiri, stated, “Once the bridge gets completed, raw materials will be taken to the other side and approach road will be constructed within the deadline.”
Earlier, deadline for the completion of bridge work was September of 2017. Later it was shifted to November and then February this year.