As a part of ‘Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’ the construction work of 15 roads have not been started yet and the construction work of another eight roads have been interrupted and left half done.
The red menace has also gripped areas of Koraput district where the contractors have restrained themselves from the tendering process. As a result the, construction of roads in the district that had started long ago is still lying undone.
“The problem is apparent in some of the interior pockets of the district. In some programmes the contractors are not at all participating in the tendering process in fear of the Maoists and some of the programmes are lying half done,” Koraput Collector Rajesh Kumar Patel said.
On the basis of ‘PMGSY’ the construction of roads in Haladikunda village under Baiparigura block in Koraput had started on 27 February 2008 and was supposed to end by 28 November 2008. The budget allocated for the construction work was Rs 79, 42,000.
But the programme could only cover a distance of 2.200 kilometers which was even less than half of the total length of the road. The construction is even half done today as none of the contractors is willing to take up the task in fear of the Maoists.
“The construction work of these roads is still incomplete though more than two years have passed,” local resident Ram Dora said.
“The road has been constructed only up to a distance of 1.5 kms. The construction work of these roads was supposed to end in 2008, but have not come to an end yet,” Sarpanch of Haladigunda Village Vibhishan Hantal said.
The ultras, reportedly, had earlier killed contractors who were engaged to construct the roads. The rebels had killed one contractor named A.S. Chawla who was supervising the construction of Budhari Road. The Maoists had also set another contractor’s vehicle on fire. The contractor was monitoring the construction of Pendajam-Narayanpatna Road.