Dhusuri: A 100-foot section of the National Highway 20 concrete road near Bodak under Olag panchayat in Bhadrak district caved in Wednesday night following low-pressure-triggered heavy rainfall in the past few weeks. Plying of commercial vehicles was disrupted as a stretch of 1.5 km has also weakened.
Incessant rainfall over the past few weeks has affected residents of 24 villages in Sundarpur, Olag, Aradi and Nandapur panchayats under Chandbali blocks. Floodwaters have damaged roads at several places in the district, causing problems for commuters.
The road from Bodak to Sathibankuda, a stretch of about 1.5 km, has also weakened as floodwaters flow underneath. About 500 feet of the road’s foundation has been weakened, affecting the movement of heavy vehicles. The road connects Kuakhia with Satabhaya and is used daily by more than 100 vehicles travelling from Aradi to Bhubaneswar, Jajpur and Baragada.
Bus services have also become risky because of the weakened road. Authorities carried out temporary repairs near Bodak Thursday by placing sandbags and wooden poles as support along the damaged section.
Residents said the road has faced repeated collapses in the last 10 years, but no permanent solution has been implemented. They alleged that poor coordination and negligence by the National Highways and Irrigation departments have contributed to the problem.
Junior Engineer Shubhasmi ta Pani said emergency repairs would first be carried out at the collapsed section to restore traffic. The 1.5-km concrete stretch would then be raised by about 4 feet as part of efforts to prevent further damage.
