Sambalpur: Delays in the Construction of the flyover, Again Design will change
Sambalpur: There is a delay in the construction of the flyover at the accident-prone main entrance area of the Ainthapali area of Sambalpur city. In the meantime, more than a year and a half have been delayed in issuing the letter to NHAI, and the work has not progressed at all. A departmental officer said that while NHAI is said to have prepared a budget of 249 crores for the construction of the proposed 2.1 km long flyover, the design is being prepared once again. It is worth mentioning that it is the junction of National Highway No. 53 and State Highway No. 10 Tali Street (Shaheed Birsa Munda Street) and two other streets are causing frequent accidents due to construction errors.
Thousands of big trucks ply this road every day. There are many wedding halls, Sambalpur city station, and educational institutions on this road. If the proposed skyway road is constructed with modern technology and the new Bus Stand is started, the Construction of flyovers on Highway 10 to Ambiranagar and on National Highway 53 to Anguwalpada would provide a quick solution and save the lives of many people.
In order to make the main entrance of Sambalpur more attractive and improved, the district-level committee of the transport department headed by the District Collector proposed to NHAI to construct the flyover for permanent remedial measures.
Various organizations of the city have been repeatedly demanding the construction of the flyover in this ‘death zone‘, but on January 15, 2022, former MP Bhavani Shankar Hota wrote a letter to the Chief Minister for immediate redress.
On February 1, 2022, the State Government recommended (Letter No. 1142) to the Principal Secretary and Chief Engineer of the National Highways Department (NHAI) for the implementation of the proposal for the construction of the flyover. On the contrary, NHAI also informed Mr. Hota on 18th February 2022 that the preparation of the ODPR for the construction of the flyover is ongoing and the tender will be called after the completion of the ODPR.
In the meantime, one and a half years have passed. However, this project has not progressed and people are losing their lives as accidents happen one after another. In this regard, an NHAI official said, “An organization has been given the responsibility to change the design that was prepared and prepare a new design.” He said that the cost constraint may increase.
