Sarthak Kanjilal
Baratang, Oct 22: Half- done road work, from Etwa Lakwa House to Khatta Khari, is a matter of concern for the residents of Khatta Khari village in Baratang Island since last nearly a years.
According to reports, a year ago, 5km road construction work was sanctioned by the Andaman Public Works Department from Etwa Lakwa House to Khatta Khari village and the work was also assigned to the Contractor by APWD.
The residents of Khatta Khari told Andaman Sheekha that they were very pleased when the 05km road construction work started and got completed till Rafter Creek but after that the contractor stopped working for reasons unknown.
Villagers were highly disappointed to see that the contractor had left the road incomplete from Rafter Creek to Khatta Khari. In absence of proper road the village students of Khatta Khari are forced to walk through the mud to reach school and patients are brought in makeshift stretchers upto the main road.
“We thought in future we won’t have to carry patients in stretcher till the main road as vehicles will reach upto our village after construction of the road but sadly this didn’t happen,” said an old resident of the area.
However, after being in limbo since then, the matter of half- done road work was brought into the knowledge of the Superintendent Engineer, Construction Circle Number 01, APWD, Mr Tej Bahadur by the newly elected Up- Adhyaksha, North and Middle Andaman Zilla Parishad, Mr R Alegar Swamy alongwith the residents of the area, wherein, the SE reportedly assured them that the assigned contractor for the road work will be given a month time and even after that if the contractor fails to complete the work, the tender will be cancelled and a new tender for this work will be floated very soon to complete the remaining part of the road as soon as possible.
Mr Roy George, Pradhan Nilambur Gram Panchayat, Anand Bengra, Panchayat Samity Member and Manoj a PRI also highlighted the SE about the other problems the villagers are facing due absence of Bitumen road in their area, during their meeting.
