Kesinga: Due to a faulty survey and carelessness on the part of the executive engineer, engineer and SDO of the rural development department here in Kalahandi district, the fate of Mashanibandh-Bhamarmal bridge over Deheren Jor, a rivulet, is hanging in balance.
To go to Kesinga town, around 10,000 villagers of Balsi and Paralsinga gram panchayats under Kesinga block face a lot of problems.
During rainy season, when the rivulet is in spate, people take a detour through Rengali, Kachhar Padar villages to reach the town. School-going students have to stop going to their institutions.
In order to end the problem of the villagers, a bridge across the rivulet was announced and subsequently Rs 2,23,01,385 was sanctioned in 2018- 19 fiscal.
Through a tender, a contractor firm was engaged to construct the bridge. Laying up an approach road from Mashanibandh village, the bridge was constructed with three pillars.
But what has dogged the project is that two out of the three pillars are constructed on private land that are yet to be acquired.
So far, 75 per cent of the sanctioned money has been spent but the bridge has been lying half-constructed for three years now.
Local residents wanted to know how the engineers let the contractor proceed with the work without acquiring land for the project.
“Before the construction of the bridge, the executive engineer, engineer and SDO should have had a discussion with the farmers of Mashanibandh and Bhamarmal villages and then acquired land as per the project design. But they did not do that,” the villagers alleged.
Cashing in on the situation, the land owners are now asking for an exorbitant price for their land, it was learnt.
Meanwhile, the executive engineer has been transferred and his post is lying vacant, affecting all the development projects in the locality. The land owners said they are ready to part with their lands but the officials seem to be dragging their feet.
“I am ready to sell my land. I have also visited the concerned officers several times. But I received no assurance from them,” observed Tuku Ram Sahu, the land owner, who is a farmer.
SDO Chittaranjan Naik admitted the fault, saying the bridge is lying half constructed due to land acquisition problem. “We erred in planning which is why problems are arising,” he added.
PNN