Trinath & Vikramaditya
Billyground, Mar 13: The construction of a footbridge in front of the APWD AE office at Pitchernallah over the Shantipur Nallah during the financial year 2014-2015 has stirred controversy since its inauguration. Villagers allege that the bridge was built without consulting the general public, leading to inconvenience for the common people.
Residents of Swadeshnagar Gram Panchayat had demanded the construction of this bridge to facilitate smooth movement of four wheelers and easy travel for villagers of Shantipur. They hoped it would enable easy transportation of produce to markets, especially for the largest vegetable-producing community in the Middle Andaman region. Additionally, the village faces flooding annually, making it difficult for agrarian families to access their fields and resulting in substantial damage.
However, to the surprise and dismay of the villagers, the APWD proceeded with the construction of a footbridge instead of a vehicular bridge, rendering it only usable for motorbikes. Talking to Andaman Sheekha, the Panchayat Pradhan, Mr. Debabrata Das, expressed frustration, stating that during the rainy season, reaching Shantipur to rescue flood-affected individuals becomes challenging.
He criticized the whimsical and thoughtless construction, labelling it a betrayal to the public’s needs. He urged the administration to reconstruct the bridge to serve the public interest rather than fulfilling arbitrary desires of the authorities.
This matter was also recently taken up by the Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands but till now no step has been taken to rectify the fault or review the matter. The million dollar question is when the Administration will fix the responsibility of this mistake on officials who have made such a blunder.
