Sambalpur: The 2.5km bridge over Hirakud reservoir that connects Rengali to Taalbernna in Jharsuguda district is waiting for inauguration.
One of the country's longest bridges has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 142 crore.
The public works department was allotted 30 month to complete the bridge. Though the state government had set September 2016 as date for its completion, the construction of the bridge was delayed due to various reasons, a works department official said.
At present, one has to travel a distance of around 110km to reach Sambalpur by road from the Lakhanpur side.
Because of the distance people of Lakhanpur and Belpahar side depend on boats to reach Sambalpur district. Once the bridge is thrown open to the people, it would reduce the distance by at least 60km and cut down travel time by nearly an hour.
There has been growing demand for the bridge to be named after veteran communist leader and former MLA of Brajarajnagar Prasanna Panda.
The people of Brajarajnagar, Belpahar, Lakhanpur, Himgir, including IB thermal areas, had been demanding construction of the bridge since Independence.
"A long pending demand of the people will be fulfilled with the inauguration of the bridge. The bridge will also benefit those who had been displaced to construct the Hirakud dam," senior citizen and local resident Harihar Nath told The Telegraph.
He said that Panda, who was a six-time MLA from the region, had raised the demand for a bridge at several forums, including the Assembly, for the benefit of the displaced people, he said.
The business community of the region feels that the bridge will help increase trade between Sambalpur and Chhattisgarh.
Several socio-cultural organisations have formed Prasanna Panda Smriti Committee to demand naming the bridge after the former MLA. Recently they had organised a rally and held public meeting to demand naming of the bridge as Prasanna Panda Setu and installation of a statue of the Communist leader.
In a letter written to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Sambalpur MP Nagendra Pradhan has requested him to name the bridge after the former MLA. He said Panda was an exemplary politician and people of the area had tremendous love and respect for the Communist leader.
