Raisuan: Though nearly 80 per cent of the widening of the National Highway has been completed in Keonjhar district, many stretches don’t last more than a month thanks to the nexus between construction firms, engineers and top officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
For instance, a on NH-20 near Padmapur is in extremely bad shape with craters all over even though it was laid just a month back.
The quality of construction of the drains along the NH is so poor that they get damaged in just a month. As construction was executed by inexperienced hands the drains get waterlogged and spread vector borne diseases like dengue and malaria. The ditches and potholes on the NH often cause road mishaps.
Apart from substandard construction another deviation from the law has also come to light. According to rules there should be a gap of 60 km between two toll plazas on highways but this has been violated to increase revenue in Keonjhar district. On the other hand construction of the service road has not been completed.
Meanwhile, resentment is brewing among locals as the district administration and the National Highway Authoriy of India (NHAI) are keeping mum even when irregularities take place under the very nose of officials.
On the issue of substandard construction locals alleged that gross corruption is taking place as the construction firm manages to pass its bill by greasing the palms of NHAI engineers and officials.
With nearly 60 per cent of the project cost going straight into the pockets of these officials the government’s objective to connect rural pockets with good road has derailed. PNN
