Khandapara: The stone packing, dumping, grouting and launching works which were done on the embankment of the Mahanadi river in January this year has gone down. The stone packing has slid down into the river after minor rainfall in the area.
Local people bathing on the embankment of the Mahanadi are facing lots of problems now. Hundreds of pilgrims who come to the shrine of Lord Nilamadhab are also facing difficulties.
Nearby villagers said that the work on the river bank was carried out with low quality material and feared that it might get washed away. This has created strong resentment among the public.
The water resources department carried out the stone packing, dumping, grouting and launching works at a cost of around Rs 2.8 crore.
Sources said department officials had told people at that time that steps will be taken in case of a flood in the Mahanadi. But the stone packing along the river’s embankment has started sliding, and is going down into the river after it rained July 1 although there are no floods at the moment.
The river dike in the southern side of the Mahanadi that flows near the foothills of the Nilamadhab temple was getting damaged often, and people were demanding steps to strengthen it.
In order to prevent further damage, stone packing, dumping, grouting and launching works were started under the supervision of Kantilo water resources department, with funds sanctioned by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
When contacted, department engineer Shankar Dalei said, “All works were carried out by the contractor and repairing will be done soon.”
PNN