Nuagaon: Government is taking steps for soil conservation and afforestation. Reckless acts of felling trees and digging up soil by some contractor farms engaged in road construction are simply counterproductive.
A PWD road runs from Nuagaon square on National Highway 57 to Bahadjhola via Jakeda panchayat. A portion of this road was repaired last year. As the road was narrow, widening of the same was taken into consideration and the decision taken.
From Gumi to Dimiripalli, for a stretch of 7 km, the government has sanctioned Rs 6.87 lakh. A contractor farm Baghei Construction got the tender on it.
But what has raised concern is use of soil in leveling the road. The contractor farm is allegedly destroying a vast area of jungle and dredging up soil to use it in its construction work.
Similarly, soil was rampantly dug up and used in leveling the 8 km long stretch in front of Barkola forest Bungalow. “Rs 29.90 lakh was spent to get the stretch leveling and widening it and huge quantity of road side soil has been used in it. Deep trenches on the either side of this road, which passes through a jungle, are quite obvious even to naked eyes, corroborating the fact how soil was dug up and used in the construction work, the local villagers alleged.
The forest officials silence to these unlawful activities has triggered resentment in the locality.
When asked about how the contractor farm is deliberately carrying out construction work damaging soil with impunity, PWD junior engineer Gopabandhu Dhir said, “ The concerned farm has been categorically warned not to use soil in road construction work. But it has not paying any heed to us,” Dhir said.
When intimated as to how the contractor farm is causing extensive damage to the soil and forest. Mahipur forester Sudhanshu Sekhar Panda said, he was going to pay a visit to the location. If the allegation is found out to be true then suitable action would be taken against the farm.
PNN