Cuttack: Orissa High Court has sought a reply from the state government on delay in construction of the bridge over Ong River in Padampur sub-division of Bargarh district.

While alleging the state government's inaction, the PIL has sought the court's direction to complete within a stipulated time the bridge at Lakhmara-Chardapalli.

The bridge had been planned under Biju Setu Yojana and survey for it had begun in 2010.

Padma Lochan Beria, 55, Ramesh Chandra Barik, 54, and Arakshit Pradhan, 50, of Lakhmara filed a PIL seeking intervention for execution of the bridge.

The petitioners pointed out that Chardapali Panchayat was completely disconnected from the mainstream and people of the area were fully dependent on boats to earn their livelihood, education and other facilities in the absence of a bridge.

"These villages are practically cut off throughout the year and there is no electricity connection. People have to cross the Ong river for livelihood and health care. The teachers hardly attend the school because it is dangerous to cross the river," the petition said. The petition had come up last week before the high court went on summer vacation from Monday.

"After a preliminary hearing, the division bench of Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice B.R. Sarangi posted the matter to after eight weeks for hearing along with the reply of the state government," petitioner counsel Sankar Prasad Pani said on Tuesday.

"Accordingly, the court allowed the authorities concerned six weeks to file counter affidavit to the PIL and two weeks thereafter to the petitioner to file a rejoinder," Pani said.

The court expected responses from the principal secretary, water resource department, engineer-in-chief-cum-secretary of the works department and collector-cum-district magistrate of Baragarh.

The petition said the government authorities had not undertaken construction of the bridge over Ong river on the plea that the Ong irrigation dam project was still in the proposal stage.

"Denying the basic rights of citizens and access to good roads and bridges in the garb of a dam project, which is still to acquire land even after 17 years of survey and approval by the central water commission for the project, is gross injustice to the inhabitants of the proposed dam area," the petitioners contended.