Remuna: Local residents have set August 15 deadline for the administration to complete the PMGSY road from Baruna Singh Mahanal to Saharda road or face agitation.
The construction of the PMGSY road is in a limbo as the contractor has allegedly gotten away with the money without completing the project and leaving people furious. The road is connected to historic village Inchudi where the first “Labana Satyagrah” was held.
Upset over the deplorable condition of the road, the locals warned the administration of a prolonged agitation if the road work is not completed by August 15.
Execution of the rural road connectivity has been marred by irregularities in Remuna area of Balasore. It was alleged that engineers and contractors have minted money from the road projects by botching up construction.
According to reports, Rs 1.75 crore was sanctioned for the road which was started in April 2015. Its construction was to be completed by May 5, 2016. Although two years have passed, the road work is still incomplete. Surprisingly, the rural development department, which was executing the project, has cleared the bill of the contractor when 10 per cent of the construction is yet to be done. Various quarters have alleged that lakhs of rupees have been misappropriated.
About 60,000 people from Baruna Singh, Kulinga, Talapada, Tundara, Maharajpur and Inchudi, commute on the road on a daily basis. Their plight has worsened in the rainy season as the road is in an utterly bad condition. A 200-metre long part of the road near Mohapatrashi is turning into a deathtrap with frequent mishaps taking place.
As per the PMGSY guidelines, the contractor is bound to maintain the road for five years after its completion. Assistant engineer of the rural development department, Aswini Dandapat, said that the 200-metre stretch of the road has not been completed due to disputes over land. The locals have demanded a vigilance probe into the matter.
PNN