Malkangiri: With the construction of three girders and a stretch of roof remaining incomplete, it is highly unlikely that the much-awaited Gurupriya Bridge would be commissioned by the end of March, said locals.
The bridge had been planned in 2006 to bail out the people of nine panchayats of the cut-off regions of Chitrakonda block in this district who have been leading lives of deprivation after the Balimela multi-purpose irrigation project was set up about 50 years ago.
The project was launched to generate power and provide canal irrigation facility to 27 per cent farmland of the district. But, the people of seven panchayats were left stranded in the process.
Taking note of the plight of the people, the state government signed a contract with a private firm in 2006 to set up Gurupriya Bridge at the cost of Rs 49 crore with an objective to establish road link with the marooned people.
However, the dream remained unfulfilled after the firm suddenly withdrew from the project after a few months.
After several years, the government again swung into action in 2014 and roped in a Kolkata-based firm to complete the project by April, 2017. By this time the project cost escalated to Rs 172 crore. However, this firm also failed to complete it within deadline.
Meanwhile, the government spent another Rs 15 crore and assigned a Bhubaneswar-based company to examine the standard of construction, offer technical inputs and redesign the project. Though an official of this firm claims that the project would be ready by February end, a lot of work still remains incomplete. Apart from three girders and a roof, the colouring of stone packing of both sides of the bridge and ceiling of the stone packing are yet to commence.
Works department executive engineer Arun Kumar Sahoo said the construction is in progress and hopefully it would be completed by February end. PNN
