The bridge built at a cost of Rs 6 crore in Katihar, Bihar has been useless for 4 years. Due to land acquisition problem its connection road could not be built. Because of this, people of 10 villages still have to take long trips to cross the river.
Katihar: Pasanta bridge built in Dandkhoda block of Katihar district of Bihar now seems no less than a joke to the people. This bridge, built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) at a cost of Rs 6 crore, is not usable even after four years, because its approach road has not been built yet. As a result, the bridge has become a symbol of development hanging in the air between the fields.
Bridge built, but road missing
The project, which started in 2020, was to be completed by 2021. The bridge was built on paper, but the road with which it was to be connected has not yet come on the ground. Local villagers say that on one side there are fields and on the other side a pillar of the bridge is built on private land. Due to non-completion of land acquisition, the construction of the approach road got stuck midway.
DPR was made without acquisition
Villagers say that the officials had made a mistake while preparing the DPR (Detailed Project Report) of the project. The plan for the bridge was made without ascertaining whether the land was government or private. Now the situation is that the government and the contractors are putting the responsibility on each other, while the bridge has been gathering dust for four years. Local residents say that the bridge was built, but the road was not. Even today people travel 8-10 kilometers through the same old route. So much money was spent, but no one got any benefit.
It was a ‘lifeline’ for the people of 10 villages.
This bridge was built to connect about 10 to 12 villages of Dandkhoda block. Had the bridge been ready, the villagers could have directly reached Katihar headquarters. But due to the communication route being incomplete, they still have to take a long detour to cross the river. The situation becomes worse during rainy season. Many times school children and patients have to pass by boat or through fields.
Complete in government files, incomplete in ground reality
Sources in the Public Works Department say the project has been shown technically “complete”. But permission to acquire land for the approach road has not yet been received. According to a report of the State Rural Works Department, there are dozens of such schemes in Katihar district which are incomplete on some part of the bridge or road.