Talcher: The much-awaited Talcher-Ghantapada over-bridge meant to ease traffic at industrial areas like NALCO, FCI and Talcher in Angul district has been stuck in limbo since 2016.
The district administration has turned a deaf ear to repeated pleas of the locals to complete the project.
Fed up with the four-year delay, locals took up the matter with district administration recently demanding immediate completion of the bridge and approach road works for larger interest of the city residents.
The then Union Coal Minister Prakash Jaiswal had laid the foundation stone June 1, 2012. With the estimated cost of Rs 35 crore, the construction of the over-bridge was taken up by the construction company RKD.
The construction company began the work October 21, 2016 and October 20, 2018 was fixed as its deadline.
Locals alleged that the government had decided to construct the bridge because of the level crossing which is a hurdle for smooth communication of the district denizens from the industrial area.
Every day more than 50 coal loaded trains cross the level crossing for which the locals have to wait for hours before reaching their destination.
Only 20 per cent of the construction work has been completed till now.
The locals lamented that major works like shifting of level crossing, construction of guard and RI wall, top slap and approach roads from both sides of the over bridge are yet to commence.
The over-bridge construction led to blocking of the road and as a result, people are forced to take a diversion route. The route can’t be called a road as it is a muddy stretch.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone October 3, 2013 for the ROB. Accordingly, the construction was taken up by the Public Works Department (PWD) and December 31, 2018 was fixed as its deadline.
However, sub collector Rajanikant Swain said that a high-level meeting has been finished recently. In the meeting it was decided that the construction company will take only ten months more to complete the work.
PNN