Road surface peels off days after blacktopping

Residents of Khunta block in Mayurbhanj district have alleged gross irregularities in the construction of a road, claiming that the asphalt layer is peeling off barely five days after completion of work.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

The 9-km long road from Chapaladihi and Bahalada to Sapanachua under Badapathara panchayat, constructed under the Rural Development department in Khunta section of Udala division at an estimated cost of ₹10 crore, has drawn public outrage over substandard work. Locals say the work executed by a Baripada-based special-class contractor was completed hastily with improper metal layering using low quality materials.

Villagers alleged the asphalt layer began coming off merely five days after construction. A bus traveling to Bahalada reportedly caused large patches of the road surface to detach on its return. Last week, residents demonstrated how the asphalt layer could be lifted easily by hand, leaving the irregularities exposed.