Jhumpura: Even as rural connectivity is being strengthened through Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) across the country, the central scheme goes nowhere due to sub-standard construction and irregularities in road projects in tribal-dominated Jhumpura block in Keonjhar.
Besides, work of some PMGSY projects goes on even years after their deadlines have lapsed, a report said. No information boards, mandatory under the guidelines, is not put up in some cases. People fail to know about the cost and deadlines of the projects.
A case in point is the 3.900-km road leading from Nayagad to Saradhabali. The rural development department has included the road in the PMGSY and is executing the road project at a cost of Rs 1.79 crore. Locals alleged that the contractor has been filing up the craters of the road with silt and mud. Raising questions about the durability of the road, the villagers said even though the road is leveled with murram and blacktopped, it will show cracks soon.
The villagers also said that though they have been complaining to the contractor about the botched-up work, the latter hardly cares about the quality and the no engineers of the rural development department are monitoring its work.
The work was undertaken January 5, 2016 and was to be completed by January 4, 2017, with a guarantee of five years. Although its deadline is over, the road project has been left incomplete. Locals are not sure when it will be completed.
Assistant engineer of the rural development department Balabhadra Marandi said there was a delay in road construction. “If necessary, mud and silt will be removed from the road,” he assured. PNN
