Potholes on main road near Kendrapara new bus stand. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, June 16: The condition of roads in the district headquarters township has turned from bad to worse after the first monsoon rain and this is being attributed to poor quality of road construction.

Grants of Rs 1.45 crore has been spent in the recent past for relaying the road, which has already developed significant cracks and potholes.

Parts of the 3.5km road from Tinimuhani junction to Baldevjew temple are not even motorable. During Laxmi puja last year, nearly Rs 75 lakh was used to relay the road. But the grants were allegedly squandered and not used properly.

“During the past four years, Rs 1.45 crore has been spent in four phases on the road. The outcome has come a cropper. The grants were largely misused in a joint nexus of the municipality chairman and the urban local body officials,” said former legislator Ganeswar Behera.

“There was little transparency in the tender bids invited for the road-laying project. The quality of work was heavily compromised as there was hardly any technical supervision of municipal work. This has resulted in drastic deterioration of the road troubling commuters and pedestrians. With rath yatra approaching, more funds would be spent on repair work. But it will be a waste because the road will not be able to cope with monsoon rain,” said Sabita Sahu, vice-chairman of Kendrapara Municipality.

“In the name of repair and relaying, government grants are not being judiciously used. There has been little change in the condition of the road here despite a lot of money being spent on road repair and maintenance,” said Avanti Behera, a civil society activist.

“The stretch from the new bus stand to Bimalai Thakurani has been damaged within a few months of the road being repaired. We are being greatly inconvenienced because of this. The monsoon rain would aggravate the problem,” said Nihar Rajnan Sahu, a resident of Kakat Chowk.

“The municipal authorities lack vision and foresight. The plan and estimate of the road project is also lopsided. The road should proper drainage along with it to stop accumulation of rain water on the road. The roads get waterlogged even after a slight drizzle,” said Mohammad Akbar Ali, former chairman of Kendrapara Municipality.