Work on Mitkundri-Lahanda bridge stuck

ROURKELA:  The under-construction Mitkundri-Lahanda bridge, a key rural road link over Deo river in Nuagaon block of Sundargarh district has remained incomplete as land losers are reportedly unhappy with the district administration for delaying the acquisition and compensation disbursement for more than four years now. The revised completion target was February this year but workers at the bridge site said casting of one slab on the Lahanda side has been halted by the land losers. 

During monsoons, villagers of Nuagaon and adjacent Kuanrmunda blocks are forced to wade through the rising river risking their lives for livelihood. Around 4,000-5,000 villagers from Kuanrmunda and Nuagaon take the Deo river route at Lohanda and through the nearby Mitkundri-Jhirpani bridge over Koel river to reach Rourkela. This makes the Mitkundri-Lahanda bridge all the more significant as it would cut distance to Rourkela by at least 15 km. 

As per reports, construction of the Mitkundri-Lahanda High Level (HL) bridge in Nuagaon block over Deo river had started during mid-2018 by the Rural Development (RD) department. As there was no headway on the rehabilitation and compensation for land acquisition, affected families had met Panposh Sub Collector Daulat Chandrakar in this regard. But despite assurance, no steps were taken to expedite the process. 

Former sarpanch of Khuntgaon Santosh Kandulna and sarpanch of Ankurpali Sushil Toppo said when bridge work had started four years back, villagers had thought their risky travel woes would end but nothing changed as another monsoon is approaching. 

Reliable sources said on June 6, the office of the district Collector issued a notification for Social Impact Assessment (SIA) study with target to disburse compensation before August 15. Contacted, newly-appointed RD department executive engineer Kishore Chandra Khatua said the bridge and the approach road would be completed within two months of getting land clearance.