Joda: Barely six months after the inauguration of the flyover running through this town in Keonjhar district, a portion of it sank leaving the commuters panicked, according to a report. While a crater has formed on the flyover, cracks have also appeared on the retaining walls of the bridge. The left portion of the approach road to the flyover has sunk leading to formation of a crater.
The newly-inaugurated bridge developing such problems has raised questions about the durability of the crucial infrastructure. On being informed, Collector Vishal Singh directed a technical team and Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd (OBCCL) engineer to inspect the damage and take necessary steps for its repair, Monday. It’s not just the cracks that are bothering the users. Earlier, concrete slabs were seen loosely hanging at various places while at other places iron rods were found protruding out putting the lives of the commuters at risk. Someone can seriously get injured due to the rods, they opined.
Reports said that the flyover was constructed at a plan outlay of Rs 250 crore from the funds available from the district mineral foundation (DMF). Sources said the 3-km long flyover was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on virtual mode March 11, 2024. Hence, the appearance of cracks in less than six months of its inauguration has created serious apprehensions amongst the commuters. The bridge was built by Gujarat-based Chevrox Constructions Private Ltd which had then claimed that the bridge has been built using the latest technology. Chevrox head Bipul Barat, its chairman Kishore Birangama, OBBC general manager Narsingh Mohanta who were present at the time of inauguration had claimed that the flyover will last more than 100 years. Mohanata had also claimed that it can endure the movements of heavy to very heavy vehicles. Now, it seems that the tall claims have fallen flat. Such is the condition of the flyover that it shakes violently when a couple of heavy vehicles pass over it simultaneously.
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Pictures of the shaking bridge have gone viral on social media recently. Locals had alleged that the previous state government inaugurated the flyover hastily without conducting proper examination of the bridge as Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were nearing. They wanted to take credit for construction of the bridge but safety concerns have now cropped up. This correspondent tried to meet Chevrox Constructions Private Ltd GM Sudip Mukherjee for his comment but he was conspicuously absent. An engineer of OBCCL, requesting anonymity, confirmed the cracks on the retaining wall but ruled out any immediate threat to the commuters. The senior officials are aware of the issue and the damaged portion will be repaired soon, he said. He also informed that Keonjhar Collector has been apprised of the development.
