BJD stages stir over state highway woes
Biju Janata Dal
(BJD) leaders on Saturday staged a protest and submitted a memorandum to the chief engineer of the Indravati-Kolab irrigation division basin at Bariniput here, demanding immediate repair and restoration work.
Led by former minister and BJD vice-president Rabi Narayan Nanda, the leaders warned that the party would launch a mass agitation if their demands were not met. They pointed out that of the 40-kilometre Borigumma-Koraput road via Ranigad, around 7 km falls under the jurisdiction of the irrigation department. This stretch, constructed nearly a decade ago, has not undergone any maintenance since then and is now in a severely dilapidated state.
"The road is a vital link not just for Odisha but also for neighbouring Chhattisgarh. Thousands of vehicles ply this route daily. The deteriorating condition of the road has led to frequent accidents, and heavy vehicles often get stuck mid-way as the road has developed huge craters," Nanda said.
He further alleged that a previous directive by the district administration, limiting heavy vehicle movement to daytime hours to ease traffic on the Koraput-Jeypore ghat road, has increased pressure on the SH-48 stretch, worsening its condition.
Despite repeated complaints over the last three years, authorities have failed to act, the leaders said.
Responding to the concerns, chief engineer Jugal Kishore Khatua admitted to the poor condition of the road and assured that repair work would begin shortly. "We are aware of the issue. The estimate for the repair has already been prepared, and work will commence soon," Khatua said.
He added that steps are being taken to transfer responsibility to the public works department. "Though a decision for the handover was taken in 2022, it has not yet been implemented. We will initiate steps for the transfer soon," said Khatua.
Accusing the administration of negligence, the BJD leaders asserted that any further delay in repairs would force the party to launch a large-scale protest to ensure public safety and restore proper transport connectivity.
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