Residents renovate the bridge in Jajpur. Telegraph picture

Jajpur, May 12: Local residents took up the much-needed renovation work of a bridge along National Highway No. 200, the vital road link between Kalinga Nagar steel hub and the port town at Paradip, after apparent indifference by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities.

Braving scorching heat, about three dozen men turned up yesterday and voluntarily renovated the bridge over river Brahmani. They did the task without any government help for public cause.

“The bridge was in very poor condition causing inconvenience to truckers, light vehicles, two-wheelers and even pedestrians. Several accidents have been reported here and the bridge need immediate repair. We virtually ran from pillar to post to get it repaired. But nobody listened to us. Finally we decided not to beg with government officials and took up the work ourselves. Though it was a very difficult task for us, we did it,” said Bulu Sahu, who led the group of men who did the job.

The bridge was constructed over Brahmani about four decades ago. It is a crucial link between Kalinga Nagar industrial complex and National Highway No.5. Thousands of iron-laden trucks ply on this bridge everyday. It has not been repaired for the past couple of years.

“More than 5,000 trucks carrying iron ore cross this bridge everyday as it connects mineral-rich Keonjhar with Paradip. As heavily loaded vehicles ply on the bridge, it got damaged. The bridge had not been repaired in the last five years. The top layer had been wiped off and there were big holes in it. This was making life tough for pedestrians as well,” said Duryodhan Pradhan, one of those who helped to repair the bridge.

About 35 persons had come together to carry out the renovation work and it took about 10 hours.

“We had approached the local legislator, the minister as well as the concerned department several times for the repair of the bridge. When all our appeals fell on deaf ears, our youths decided to do it themselves,” said Agani Charan Ojha, president of the Brahmani Bridge Bazar committee.

“We hope the initiative by our youths will bring back smiles on the faces of drivers who cross the bridge,” he added.Truckers who frequent the bridge are also happy with the renovation of the bridge.

“Earlier, we had a very difficult time driving across the bridge because of its poor condition. Many a time, our trucks got stuck on the bridge due to bad road condition. But after it was repaired by local youths, vehicles are running on the bridge very smoothly,” said Shaik Zuman, a trucker.

What the local youths had done, deserves commendation, he added.

“We are aware of the bad condition of the bridge. But we could not take up repair work as the road in that section is slated to become four lanes in the future,” said an NHAI official.