A second bridge over the Mahanadi river near Kacheri Chowk of Sambalpur town is ready for inauguration.
The bridge is a dream project of the people of Sambalpur and Charpur on the other side of the river. “The bridge is totally ready for inauguration by CM Naveen Patnaik. We are giving finishing touches by laying of readymade grass on the approach sides,” Assistant Executive Engineer Public Works Department (PWD), Nayayan Patel told The Pioneer.
According to sources, the State Government is making delay in the inauguration due to lawyers’ strike and their threat call of black flag demonstration.
The State Government has approved the additional proposal given by the Works Department to light up the bridge colourfully by spending Rs 80 lakh. The DPR has already been prepared and the work will start very soon, the official sources said.
The approach road on the Kacheri Chowk is about 300 metre long, while on the Charpur side, the road is about 1,200 metre long. The bridge estimated to cost Rs 100 crore is 1,500 metre long and 14.8 metre wide with 1.5 metre-wide foot paths on both the sides. The bridge will reduce the distance between Sambalpur town and Charpur area by 25 km. It has opened a new route to Bargarh side which has reduced the distance to Bargarh about 25 km.
CM Patnaik had laid the foundation stone of the bridge in January 2015. It was initially expected to be completed in 36 months, but the construction company missed the deadlines on several occasions.
The Sambalpur district administration has drawn up a massive satellite township plan on the other side of the river allotting Government land to various educational institutions in anticipation of completion of the bridge. Construction work for the building of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Sambalpur, the second battalion of the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) of Odisha and the second Kendriya Vidyalaya have already been started. Land has also been allotted for the second campus of the Gangadhar Meher University, the Odisha State Open University and the Sainik School. The Sambalpur Development Authority (SDA) has also decided to come up with housing schemes for economically weaker sections of the society near Charpur. Land will be allotted to the Odisha State Housing Board for construction of flats for the various categories of people.
The State Government has drawn up a proposal for constructing ring road on the other side of Mahanadi starting from the origin of the second Mahanadi bridge to Ashok Nivas, one end of the Hirakud dam for which land acquisition has already been started. The ring road will be constructed in three phases. The PWD will carry out the construction work and Rs 12 crore has been allotted for the purpose of first phase, official sources said.