Malkangiri: While on one hand the completion of the much-awaited Gurupriya Bridge at Chitrakonda in Malkangiri continues to get delayed, another setback has hit the project as a pillar of the bridge has developed a tilt raising security and stability concerns.
While each of the pillars from the 13th to 18th is supported by six piles each, two piles of the 16th pillar have caved in thereby tilting the pillar. The tilt was discernible after the water level in the Balimela dam reduced recently.
Locals have expressed concerns over the problem in the bridge and held the government's lack of foresight and blatant corruption responsible for the low quality construction.
"The officials and the construction firm have misappropriated government money and they should be given capital punishment," tribal leader, Ghanashyam Madkami said.
The BJP also criticized the government for delay in completion of the bridge.
"You can imagine what construction quality is being maintained after such incidents occur. We will rake-up the issue during the ongoing budget session of the Odisha Assembly," BJP legislature party leader, KV Singh Deo said.
On the other hand, NC Pal, Executive Engineer of the project has ruled out safety issues.
"We have constructed six piles instead of four. Besides, inclination of the piles within 15 degrees is acceptable. So there is no threat to the safety of the pillar of the bridge," he said.
It is to be noted that such incidents are not new in case of Gurupriya Bridge. A slab of the under-construction bridge along with its three girders between 10th and 11th columns had caved in last year.
Ever since the construction of the bridge began in 2014, Kolkata-based contractor-firm Royal Infra Limited has been given not one but four deadlines to complete the project.
In the meantime, the project cost has climbed up from Rs 104.4 crore to Rs 172.2 crore.
So the bend in the pillar has once again pushed the future of the bridge into uncertainty as it is likely to delay the project which was earlier targeted to be completed by April-end this year.
On March 29, Malkangiri Collector, in a letter to the Engineer-in-Chief-cum-Secretary to Government, Works Department had also alleged that the construction company had not deployed adequate resources necessary for the completion of the project.