Cuttack: A newly-constructed concrete bridge connecting Dhabaleswar temple with Mancheswar village in Athagarh town of Odisha’s Cuttack district was opened Wednesday for devotees and Kaudiyas.
The bridge, however, will be officially dedicated to the public after the construction work is completed. As of today, while the bridge is usable, some of the work remains. The district administration took the decision to allow devotees and Kaudiyas in view of the large congregations expected at the temple, Athagarh MLA and Odisha Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said.
Notably, the Dhabaleswar temple located on an island inside Mahanadi river remained out of bounds for devotees after a temporary road connecting the shrine was washed away June 30, 2023 amid heavy rains.
The construction work of the 276-metre-long and 6.2-metre-wide bridge began in 2021. The bridge has been constructed with an estimated expense of Rs22.28 crore.
In addition to the bridge, two other 360-meter-long connecting roads to the bridge have also been built.
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In November last year, a suspension bridge connecting Cuttack with the riverine island was declared as ‘unsafe’ by Cuttack district administration.
The administration, in wake of the Morbi bridge mishap in Gujarat, declared the hanging bridge here as unsafe and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC for an indefinite period to facilitate repair work.
PNN