Following a complaint with the CM and the Vigilance pertaining to substandard road construction under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Balipileswar area near Konark, the RD Department has suddenly swung into action.

After a strict instruction from the Secretary to RD of ensuring zero tolerance in quality and standard of road to be made, a quality control team reached the area and surveyed the entire 11.4 km stretch from Balikapilewar square on Puri Marine Drive Road up to the Gop Nagpur village, connecting nearly 500 villages as a lifeline. 

Coming under pressure of the authority, the contractor began repairing of the ruptured parts at various locations of road. Workers had been engaged for plastering of the road with concrete cover.

However, during visit of quality control team, locals displayed their dissatisfaction over works and urged the officials for a probe by a Central agency as it belongs to Central funds budgeted above Rs 5 crore.

They charged that the contractor in connivance with the RD engineers had compromised the quality of road construction which has resulted into cracks and pitfalls just after two weeks of completion. As per the billboard, the work was completed on August 4 and the construction had begun in November last.

Notably, the Konark Anchalik Bikash Parisad, an outfit  had sent a letter  to the CM and Vigilance on substandard works by bidder Ramachadi Infra Private Limited as contractor of PMGSY work.  The letter to CM alleged link of the contractor with Sports Minister and Kakatpur MLA Tushar  Kanti Behera.