Balangir, Oct. 31: Two national highways, which connect Balangir with four other districts, have been lying in a bad shape for years.
The two highways — NH-26 and NH-57 — connect Balangir with Sonepur, Sambalpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts. The NH-26 runs from Bargarh to Boriguma while the NH-57 runs from Khurda to Nuapada. But, the two roads are now dotted with potholes and big pits.
Demanding immediate improvement of the two highways, the Balangir district wing of the Indian National Congress had resorted to road blockade at Chhatamakhna on NH-26 and Puintala on NH-57 yesterday.
“The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has never taken up any maintenance work ever since these two roads were built about seven years ago,” said a local resident.
Surath Mishra, who works in Sonepur and regularly commutes from Balangir through the NH-57, said that the condition of the road was pathetic in at least 20 kilometres out of the total 50-kilometre stretch from Balangir to Sonepur. “The road has not been repaired for ages. It is nightmarish to commute through such a road on a regular basis,” he said.
The stretches from Malmanda to Dumerbahal and Bairasar to Khari on the NH-57 are hardly motorable, while the stretch from Balangir to Loisingha on the NH-26 needs of immediate repairs.
President of the Puintala block Congress Sananda Mishra said that the two roads were lying in neglect for several years.
“The condition of the two roads has worsened as no one pays attention towards their maintenance. Even bike riders don’t feel safe on these roads. As a result, Balangir to Sonepur, which is a one-hour journey, now takes more than two hours. The NHAI should take up repair works on these two highways immediately,” said Mishra.
Assistant engineer of Balangir division of the NHAI Damodar Kaibarta said his department had made all preparations to construct some portions of the two highways anew.
“We have already finished the tender process for the repair works. A stretch of 18- kilometres on NH-57 will be reconstructed at an estimate of Rs 6.31 crores, while 12 kilometres on NH-26 will be built anew at a cost of Rs 5.30 crores. We will start the work from the first week of December,” Kaibarta said.
