Malkangiri: Residents of Khairaput block in Malkangiri district were allegedly abused and threatened by a contractor when they opposed the poor construction quality of a road laid under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Khairaput sarpanch Daimati Golpeda and ward member Kumadini Desianayak along with several villagers Monday lodged a written complaint with the district collector and demanded that the contractor be ordered to rebuild the road.
According to sources, construction of bitumen roads on two stretches – one from Khairaput to Tankamunda and another from Kandatalguda Chhak to Kandatalguda river –started in 2015 in the block. While Khairput-Tankamunda road which is four km long has been completed, construction is underway on the second project which is a 1-km stretch. However, the contractor of the project has been using extremely poor quality bitumen in the construction, the villagers alleged.
Similarly, according to terms of the agreement, the bitumen shouldn’t be laid during rains. But the concerned contractor laid the bitumen during rains May 5 despite opposition from villagers. This was a gross violation of norms, the villagers said, adding that the contractor didn’t use road rollers to level the road.
When the contractor brought a road roller to the spot after four days of laying the bitumen, the villagers refused to allow him proceed with the work demanding better quality of bitumen. However, the contractor abused them and warned them that he would file a police complaint against them, residents of Tankamunda and Kandatalguda villages said.
Further, no department official visits the site to inspect the quality of work, they rued, demanding action against the contractor. PNN
