Manguli/Jagatpur: Come to Tangi-Choudwar area in Cuttack district and take a driving test as several electricity poles have been left in the middle of the roads after expansion works were completed, thanks to lack of monitoring by officials concerned.
According to reports, the poles, located on roads connecting Tangi village to Tangi police station and Bhagatpur to Tangi village, were not relocated after the Works department completed road expansion projects, locals said.
Lack of proper monitoring has turned the roads into accident-prone zones, they added. Residents expressed resentment over what they described as haphazard execution by the Works department, accusing officials of failing to monitor projects and awarding contracts to inexperienced firms.
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Locals have threatened protests if the poles are not removed promptly. Before the expansion began, villagers submitted written requests to the Works and Electricity departments to shift the poles, but their pleas went unheeded, they said.
Bhabani Shankar Das, junior engineer of Tangi Electricity Division, acknowledged the delay, stating, “The Works department informed us about the issue very late. Tenders have been issued for pole removal, and the work will be completed within seven days.”
Works department sub-divisional officer said the contractor has been directed to install reflective signboards around the poles to prevent accidents.
