Delay in construction of bridges raises monsoon woes in Malkangiri

Malkangiri: With the arrival of monsoon in Odisha, the unwarranted delay in construction of three bridges in Malkangiri has raised fear of waterlogging among residents of the district.

Due to low-lying bridges in many areas of the district, waterlogging has become a major issue for the locals. To resolve it, Public & Works Department (PWD) had begun three bridge projects near MV-11 on Balimela-Malkangiri Main Road, Korukonda and MV-37 back in the year 2016 but they are yet to be completed.

The contract of the project was given to Vijayawada-based RR Infratech company and it was started with an estimated budget of Rs 5.98 crore. Now, it has touched Rs 11.73 crore but there is no sign of its completion.

Though the deadline to complete the bridges is already over, the inaction of PWD over the delay has sparked resentment among the denizens.

“With little rain, the area gets submerged and the administration is responsible for this. The contracts of all the three bridges were given to the same company. Therefore, the concerned administration should investigate the nexus in it,” said a local Sanu Anugu.

Another local resident, Banshi Muduli, said, “Once rain starts, communication will be completely disrupted in the area. Thousands of people including students will get affected. We will be benefitted if the district administration finds a way to solve the problem.”

On the other hand, Malkangiri Sub Collector Rameswar Pradhan assured that construction of bridges would be completed by December.

“We have given them a target to complete the construction work by December. The design of the bridges were changed which is the reason behind the delay," said Pradhan.