Aradi: A part of the embankment of Baitarani which had developed a 100-ft crack near Sathibankuda under Chandbali block in Bhadrak district collapsed into the river Saturday. Besides, stone packing worth lakhs of rupees also caved in.
After the collapse of the embankment, people in 23 nearby villages were panicked. In December 2017, the embankment had collapsed at the same place. The executive engineer of the Jajpur irrigation division and some technicians had suggested repair of the embankment. A contractor had carried out the repair, but hardly 10 months had passed, the embankment crashed again due to substandard work, locals lamented.
People in four panchayats have expressed concern over the problem. Friday, a contractor tried to plug the crack with soil.
Locals said every year, lakhs of rupees are spent towards the repair of the embankment in a haphazard manner so as to make money. During the monsoon, the locals always apprehend the possibility of breaches on the embankment.
It was alleged that due to rampant sand mining from the riverbed, embankments cave in. Truckloads of sand are being excavated and transported to various areas from the riverbed.
The villagers have warned of an agitation if the irrigation department fails to take concrete measures to prevent breaches in the embankment.
PNN