Trucks on the road between Mancheswar Industrial Estate and the railway goods shed in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 26: Truck owners have threatened to go on protest unless authorities do not repair the road connecting Rasulgarh truck terminal and Mancheswar railway goods shed.

“Our vehicles suffer serious wear and tear because of the road’s poor condition. A culvert on this road near Mancheswar industrial estate has also been damaged,” said Pranab Kumar Parija, general secretary of the Bhubaneswar Truck Owners’ Association.

Around 500 trucks ply on this route everyday, apart from buses of a private engineering college. Residents of Gadakan, Rangamatia and Mancheswar also depend on this road.

A year ago, the association had informed authorities of the East Coast Railway about the condition of the road, but they are yet to take steps. Parija said though the trucks use the route mainly to transport goods from the railway godown at Mancheswar, the railways, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, public works department or the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation appear willing to repair it. Even the Bhubaneswar Development Authority disowns the road.

“If this continues, truckers would be forced to stage a protest,’’ said a member of the association. Parija said the East Coast Railway was earning a revenue of around Rs 15 crore a year from the Mancheswar goods shed.

“Without any support from the authorities, we are taking temporary measures to repair the road by dumping dry soil and gravel at some places. But, without any permanent measure, the condition is deteriorating by the day,” said local branch president of the association Brundaban Mohapatra.

Local councillor Sanjay Kumar Baliarsingh said: “The road condition is a cause for concern for all of us. But, since the truckers ferry heavy cargo, their vehicles are prone to getting damaged. A decision is yet to be taken regarding the jurisdiction of the civic body on this road. Work will be taken up after that.”

Sources said the movement of vehicles in the area had become more difficult because of the ongoing renovation of the Rasulgarh-Mancheswar main road. Construction material has been dumped on both sides of it, making it narrow.

“We informed the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation authorities regarding delay in work on the main road and they had assured us to expedite the work,’’ said Parija.

“The road would be inspected immediately by our engineers and if it actually falls under our division, work will be taken up,” an East Coast Railway official said.