Thuamul Rampur: Allegations of poor-quality construction and misuse of public funds have surfaced after protection wall of a newly constructed bridge collapsed following light rainfall in Dolguda under Odri gram panchayat in Thuamul Rampur block of Odisha’s Kalahandi district.
The protection wall built barely five months ago caved in Sunday evening, while newly laid bitumen road developed large cracks and sections of the embankment subsided. Local residents blamed substandard work and alleged negligence by the contractor and PWD engineers.
The road and bridge project from Dumerpadar to Gopinathpur Sikatuji Dangaghat is being executed by a contractor identified as Bansal under the Public Works Department (PWD).
Villagers alleged that the contractor failed to properly compact the soil before laying the WMM layer and bitumen surface. As a result, rainwater caused the soil beneath to settle, leading to the collapse of the protection wall. They also claimed that only 8-10 mm steel rods were used in the concrete structure at the elevated site, compromising its strength.
Residents also questioned the design of several newly constructed roads and bridges in the Odri-Gopinathpur area, alleging that they were built without considering terrain.
Local Samiti members Ram Majhi, Mahadev Dadsena and Hari Neheru, along with villagers, demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged irregularities.
Responding to the allegations, PWD Junior Engineer Miniketan Karji told Dharitri that the project is still under construction and that all work is being carried out in accordance with government norms.
Karji said collapse occurred after a nearby landowner allegedly excavated soil beside the bridge for farming, causing the embankment to cave in. He said the work had to be completed quickly as there was no bypass road. He added that he would inspect the site and ensure the contractor rebuilds the damaged wall soon.
However, villagers alleged that the engineer was attempting to shift the blame onto the farmer to avoid accountability. They questioned how a newly built public infrastructure worth crores of rupees could suffer such damage after only light rainfall and demanded strict action against those responsible.
Orissa POST – Odisha’s No.1 English Daily
