Jajpur: The Odisha government has implemented the ‘Biju Setu Yojana’ as a part of its public welfare initiative to make commuting easy for the common people and usher in development in various parts of the state. Several bridges have been built under this scheme in Jajpur district that has helped connect areas with one another.
However, four projects under the scheme have been lying incomplete in the district due to a lack of approach roads and land acquisition issues. In the process, the price escalation of the projects has also increased manifold. Officials said that the Jaraka Rural Works department was entrusted with the responsibility of constructing nine bridges under the scheme at an expense of Rs 40 crore in Jajpur district.
Among the nine, the construction of five bridges has been completed. However, the remaining four in Dharmasala Assembly segment have remained incomplete even though work to build them started in 2017.
Naturally, questions have been raised about the efficiency of the officials of the Rural Works department. Locals blamed the apathy of department officials and the contractors entrusted with the construction work for the incomplete projects.
Sources said that construction of a bridge under the ‘Biju Setu Yojana’ was taken up over Sagadia nulla connecting Pipaldiha with Narsinghpur under Dharmasala Assembly segment in 2017. It was scheduled for completion September 12, 2019. So far over Rs 91.32 lakh has been spent on the project, but it is lying incomplete due to a lack of approach roads which have not been made due to land acquisition disputes. Construction of another bridge was taken up under ‘Biju Setu Yojana’ on Sanagenguti river adjoining Bhubanpur and Jagannathpur in 2019.
So far, over Rs 3 crore has been spent on the project, but it has not been completed.
Similar is the case with the bridge being built over Sagadia nullah near Sanka village in Patunia panchayat in 2018. Here also more than Rs 3 crore has been spent, but the bridge remains non-functional. Construction of another bridge was taken up on the Brahmani river near Routarapur-Kundapatna road in 2019. So far Rs 16.60 crore has been spent on the project. However, land acquisition problems have hindered its completion.
Despite, incomplete projects, the department is planning to construct two more bridges in the Barchana Assembly segment. However, locals have expressed apprehension about the future of the projects. Superintendent engineer Pradyumna Kumar Sethi in his report has said that since 2020 no bridge has been built in the constituency under ‘Biju Setu Yojana’.