Bhubaneswar: Commuters face significant challenges travelling on the Biju Expressway in Odisha’s Nuapada district. Two vital bridges over the Udanti River have remained damaged for over a year, disrupting the lifeline of western Odisha. Despite the urgency of the situation, the Odisha Works Department and the construction agency have stalled repairs, preferring to exchange letters instead of taking action.

Consultant Report Sparks Outrage

The situation has drawn attention following the submission of a report by consultant VK Raina in October 2023. Despite being paid for his services, his findings highlight severe mismanagement and negligence. The report reveals that the construction agency blatantly violated the guidelines set for the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode. Alarmingly, the Works Department Secretary and senior officials have limited their responses to mere review meetings and discussions, neglecting the pressing issues at hand.

Unqualified Contractor Chooses Incompetence

An unsettling aspect of this saga is the awarding of contracts for the two damaged bridges to an agency lacking expertise in bridge construction. The older bridge, built in 1992, remains structurally sound between the two recently constructed bridges, which cost over Rs 15 crore but now threaten to collapse. This raises crucial questions about the Works Department’s judgment and accountability.

Flawed Design Leads to Cracks

Raina’s report uncovers alarming design flaws that contributed to the fractures in the bridge’s structure. During his site investigation, he discovered that the piles under the pile caps P3 and P4 extended only 8 meters into the ground. This inadequacy stems from mischaracterizing the substrata as “soft rock,” which turned out to have zero Rock Quality Designation (RQD) and poor core recovery. The average uniaxial compressive strength was deemed questionable at 5.62 N/mm² under P3 and 6.4 N/mm² under P1.

The report raises critical concerns: how could the contractor and designer opt for an 8-meter pile length when the sub-strata was misidentified? Such lengths are virtually unheard of for river bridge foundations, Raina emphasized.

Serious Oversights and Lack of Accountability

The report also highlights alarming oversights within the Works Department. The General Arrangement Drawings (GADs) for the bridge were not signed by the Chief Construction Engineer. Instead, a proof consultant approved them without due diligence, failing to check the details against site conditions. This negligence calls into question the department’s internal controls and the competence of its personnel.

Furthermore, the report identifies a critical design flaw. The designer improperly placed a pile directly beneath the pier’s rigid body, risking catastrophic failure. The load trajectories from the pier should never direct primarily into a single pile, especially if it lacks a solid foundation.

Wasteful Spending on Consultants

Despite having numerous experts within the Works Department, the reliance on external consultants is baffling. The department has invested crores in equipment that remains underutilized while taxpayers foot the bill for costly consultants. This practice raises concerns about financial mismanagement and the prioritization of profit over public safety.

Demand for Action

The ongoing issues with the Udanti River bridges highlight a troubling pattern of negligence, mismanagement, and misuse of public funds by the Odisha Works Department. As commuters continue to suffer, demands for accountability and swift action grow louder. Immediate intervention is essential to restore public trust and ensure the safety of critical infrastructure.

The citizens of Odisha deserve transparency and competence from their government, especially regarding essential services like transportation. The time has come for the Works Department to prioritize public safety over bureaucratic delays and to address the alarming mismanagement of funds in this project. The Udanti River fund scandal must not go unpunished, and corrective actions must be taken promptly to prevent further erosion of public confidence.

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