Bailey Bridge Work Moves at Snail's Pace.

Nearly two years after it collapsed, construction of the 100-foot Bailey bridge over river Hansua at Tantiapala village in Mahakalapada block of the district is yet to be completed.

In March 2014, the rusted iron bridge over the crocodile-infested river collapsed when a stone-laden truck was crossing it.

Around 25 villages with a population of over one lakh of Suniti, Jamboo, Gogua, Bijayanagar, Koilipur and Badiha gram panchayats were cut off from the mainland.

The Rural Development Department had announced to construct a new bridge within four months but the work is yet to be completed, alleged Koilipur Sarpanch Dilip Rout.

Pramila Sethi of Tantiapala said people use rickety country boats and a bamboo bridge to cross the river. “The bridge is also one of the means of communication for tourists visiting Barunei river-mouth, mangrove forest and Barunei beach within Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. They now use an alternative route which is 15 km more and takes about 30 minutes extra driving time to reach the destination,” said Prafulla Nayak of Tantiapala.

Executive Engineer, Rural Works Division, Kendrapara, Nila Madhaba Sahoo said the work was entrusted to a contractor to construct the bridge within four months at an estimated cost of ` two crore. The construction was delayed due to encroachment of Government land at the project site. Eviction drive will be launched soon and work will be completed within three months after eviction, he added.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS