Kendrapara: The 12-kilometre-long Santasahi bridge-Gandakhia road– one of the major roads in the district linking several blocks, has fallen on deplorable condition though crores of rupees were spent by the rural works department on its repair. Locals alleged that due to substandard work, the bituminous road is now littered with potholes and ditches.
According to sources, every day thousands of commuters, six passenger buses, and hundreds of four-wheelers depend on the dilapidated Santasahi–Gandakhia road for going to Rajnagar, Pattamundai, Mahakalapada and Kendrapara blocks. Now the said road has turned into an accident-prone patch. Bike riders and commuters in regular intervals meet with accidents while they negotiate with potholes and ditches. There have been many deaths on this patch due to poor condition of the road.
Meanwhile, hundreds of potholes and ditches have developed on the 12-kilometer stretch. Everyday, college students face a lot of problems while using this road, alleged Biren Das, a local.
Crores of rupees were spent on this road. The construction was done by the RD department two years back and also a repair work was made during Laxmi Puja after locals organised road blockades on the said road and staged demonstrations in front of the district collectorate.
Due to an unholy nexus between the contractor and the officials of the concerned department, the condition of the road has become deplorable once again. Meanwhile, locals have demanded that the district administration start a probe. Else, they threatened to protest.
When contacted, District Collector Samarth Verma stated that he would look into the demands of locals.
PNN