Baripada: Residents of Khunta block in Mayurbhanj district have alleged gross irregularities in the construction of a road, claiming that the asphalt layer is peeling off barely five days after completion of work.
The 9-km-long road from Chapaladihi and Bahalada to Sapanachua under Badapathara panchayat, constructed under the Rural Development department in Khunta section of Udala division at an estimated cost of `10 crore, has drawn public outrage over substandard work.
Locals say the work executed by a Baripada-based special-class contractor was completed hastily with improper metal layering using low-quality materials. Villagers alleged the asphalt layer began coming off merely five days after construction.
A bus travelling to Bahalada reportedly caused large patches of the road surface to detach on its return. Last week, residents demonstrated how the asphalt layer could be lifted easily by hand, leaving the irregularities exposed.
Locals also alleged that cold mix was used instead of hot asphalt and that a vibratory roller was not used, compromising durability. Several villagers were seen removing and throwing away loose asphalt in protest.
Residents further claimed that a planned stretch from Santal Sahi to Dabak Bhuyan Sahi was not constructed at all. The complaints prompted villagers, including Badapathara sarpanch Mangal Majhi, to raise the issue during the District Collector’s public grievance hearing earlier this month.
A district-level inquiry team has since visited the site for inspection. Superintendent Engineer Satyabrata Nayak said the concerned patch of road where the bitumen layer peeled off was not cleaned properly before the work, leading to the problem. He said the contractor has been instructed to repave the section properly.
Citing the report of the executive engineer, he added that the remaining work was found to be satisfactory and no further inspection was carried out.
Mayurbhanj District Collector Hemakant Soy said a technical team and a district-level delegation inspected the roadwork. The team included the CDO, a project director (technical), an engineering department official, the BDO and the Udala executive engineer. They reviewed the quality of the construction, he said.
Soy said any deviation from the prescribed standards or contract conditions would be dealt with as per departmental guidelines. If the quality is found unsatisfactory, the matter will be reported to the Vigilance department and the contractor may be recommended for blacklisting by the Rural Development department. Payment for the work has already been withheld.
However, Sarpanch Ludhia Majhi of Sapanchua panchayat and residents Biru Hembram, Nagendra Majhi and Bhagirathi Guddu criticised the executive engineer for declaring the work satisfactory without visiting the site, despite the collector’s instructions. They called the situation “unfortunate.”