Keonjhar: Even as the district is rich in minerals and has a large number of tourist spots, visitors give them a miss thanks to the miserable shape of the NH-49 which connects Kolkata and Mumbai.
Apart from Keonjhar, the NH has passed through other districts like Mayurbhanj, Deogarh, Sambalpur and Angul and thousands of vehicles ply on this route.
A 90 km stretch between Turumunga and Binjbahal in the district is in a very bad condition while the 19-km-long ghat road at Kanjipani has virtually turned a deathtrap for the commuters. Though crores of rupees are pumped into improving the conditions, commuters hardly get any relief, a report said.
The district has quite a few scenic beauties such as Sanaghagra, Badaghagra, Khandadhar, Gonasika and Kanjipani. However, tourists from outside turn away as the approach roads to these sites are in miserable condition. Though, some tourism enthusiasts find alternative routes to reach these spots, they have to spend long hours on travelling.
“Due to bad shape of the approach road to Sanaghagra waterfall, visitors are shying away from coming here. The authorities should address the issue at the earliest,” said Deb Patnaik, a vendor of Sanghagara area.
Environmentalist Bimbhadhar Behera said the lukewarm response of the visitors is affecting the economy of the district. The highway should be repaired on a war-footing.
Meanwhile, resentment brewed among people over the poor upkeep of the highway as there is a steady rise in the number of road mishaps due to the bad condition of roads. Though a superintending engineer and an executive engineer have been posted to inspect the highway, the stretch continues to deteriorate by the day, it was learnt.
The authorities cited rain and movement of heavy vehicles as the reasons for the large scale damage but locals have a different story to tell.
The bitumen roads are repaired with murram while the concrete patches are repaired by filling them up with bitumen and this is the reason the roads get damaged fast, they alleged.
This apart, many bridges on the stretch don’t have guard walls posing threat to the lives of commuters. On the other hand, the potholes often result in mishaps and that lead to traffic jams and loss of man hours for people, a report said.
While the superintending engineer of NHAI couldn’t be contacted for this report, executive engineer AK Jena said the road got damaged during monsoon and repair works are in full swing at several places. The stretch would soon be converted into a four-way-lane as it is no longer suitable for plying of heavy vehicles. PNN
