Sonepur: There are a good number of government projects that have either been left mid-way through or are moving at a snail’s pace allegedly only due to lack of will power and proper monitoring on parts of the government.
The PWD road from the Mahanadi bridge in the Subarnapur district headquarters to Kunja Chowk is a good case in point.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the construction of this road in the month of February in 2019. Super class contractor Nandulal Purohit had been awarded the tender of this four layered, 20-metre wide and 3.260 kilometres long road with a divider in the middle and drains on both sides to be built with an estimated cost of Rs 6.79 crore. The contractor had also entered into an agreement with the PWD department to complete the construction work by August 12, 2019.
But the project has not progressed beyond the administration felling as many as 1165 costly trees. The contractor is said to be not able to start work on the project due to land related issues.
There are some patches of private, government and endowment lands that are yet to be acquired for the project. This apart, some have encroached upon some government lands.
Sources said that the road needs to be a little bit extra wider at spots like Kunja Chowk, Patabhadi Chowk, Block Chowk and Budharaja Chowk. But expansion cannot be carried out due to encroachment. And the administration too is reportedly hesitating to take steps to evict the encroachers. But, at the same time, the administration is learnt to have made plans to take some portions of Royal Ground to make land available for the project.
Similarly, the work on shifting of electricity utility poles is also being carried out at a tardy pace.
Local people said that the administration had taken no time to fell 1165 costly trees but where was that alacrity in taking steps against the encroachers.
“The revenue department and the municipality council have all along been at loggerheads over the land eviction and acquisition issues. No one can say when they will settle their issues so that work can begin. It seems we have to wait till doomsday to see the road taking its final shape,” they alleged.
PNN
