Bridges of despair haunt BJD in Kendrapara

KENDRAPARA: Unkept promises and official apathy are set to make it tough for BJD leaders to convince the rural populace to vote for the party in the upcoming elections. 
Harekrushna Mallick of Pitapitha village vividly recalls an election meeting at Mahakalapada in 1990 where former Chief Minister  Biju Patnaik had promised to build a bridge over Mahanadi river at  Bahakuda Ghat to enable direct connectivity to Paradip.

Harekrushna, who is now 70, said 29 years have passed and the villagers are still waiting for the bridge. “It is unfortunate that Chief Minister  Naveen Patnaik is yet to to fulfil the promises his father made to us. We do not know when and by whom the much awaited bridge will be constructed,” he said. 
 Arabinda Haldar of Kharinashi village, who works at a fertiliser plant in Paradip said the villagers depend on seven boats to cross the river to reach Paradip. 

Since there is no other means to reach the port town, the villagers risk their lives everyday, he said. 
The promise was reiterated by Mahakalapada MLA and former minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak during 2014 elections.
 “The Government has been hoodwinking us by making false promises to build the bridge over Mahanadi  at Bahakuda Ghat. As many as 13 members of the cricket club of Nuagada village drowned in the river at Bahakuda Ghat in a boat mishap on March 1, 2004. After this mishap, authorities and local leaders had promised to expedite the proposal but nothing has been done so far,” Bijay Das of Pitapitha village said.
Similarly, a 400-metre long bridge over Baitarani river at Kandiahat under Rajkanika block has been under construction for the past seven  years.  This incomplete  bridge is one of the major election issues in the riverside villages. 

Kandiahat resident Narendra Das said a large number of voters from the area will not vote for BJD candidates for this unkept promise.
A 100-metre long bridge being built over the crocodile infested Hansua river at the seaside Tantiapala village under Mahakalapada block too is also a major election issue in the area. The bridge is yet to be completed even after five years of work commencement.

Pramila Sethi, a resident of Tantiapala village said on March 3, 2014, the 35-year-old Bailey bridge collapsed in the  village as a result  of which around 25 villages with a population  of around  40,000 were cut-off from the main land. “At that time, the authorities had announced to build a new bridge within a year,” she rued.

Senior BJD leader and chairman of Kendrapara Municipality Dhiren Kumar Sahoo, however, claimed that the State Government has constructed around 65 bridges in the last 20 years in the district and work on the ongoing projects will be completed  soon. “People will vote for BJD as the State Government has done a lot for their welfare,” he asserted.