Daringbadi: Low pressure-induced rain during the last three days has thrown life out of gear and wreaked havoc in various parts of the state, a report said.
Daringbadi in Kandhamal district is no exception, as traffic on NH-59 was severely disrupted after a transit bridge on a bypass road at Sulumaha here was washed away due to incessant rain, Monday.
The highway connects Gopalpur in Ganjam district with Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
Reports said that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has taken up the expansion of the highway for which a small bridge and bypass roads are being constructed at different points of the highway.
However, residents have a different opinion as they alleged that the bridge was washed away due to sub-standard works. Twenty-four hours have passed since then but traffic on the route continued to remain disrupted even Tuesday.
The low pressure has resulted in heavy rainfall Sunday and Monday and continued in various parts of the state even Tuesday.
As the bridge was washed away, vehicular service from Baliguda via Daringbadi, Berhampur, Bhanjanagar and Sorada has snapped.
Some passenger buses have taken up different routes to reach their destinations, while the passenger bus service from Daringbadi to Simanbadi in the district has been discontinued.
A disruption in bus service from Daringbadi and to Simanbadi has left the students worried as they could not attend their classes in schools and colleges. The disruption in traffic continues as the highway authorities are yet to repair the bridge or open any alternative route for the vehicles.
The consultancy agency, in the past, had repaired the bridge on various occasions but the frequent collapses of the bridge has sparked concerns among the local residents.
Meanwhile, the local administration and police reached the spot and tried to control the situation. The NHAI has also started repairing of the bridge but it is not yet clear when it will be open for traffic.
PNN
