By Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network—Bantwal (RD/CN)

Bantwal, May 24: The KRDC officials’ assurance that the work on Baddakatte Bridge, which has been going on since the past three years, will be completed on Friday May 20 has not been fulfilled so far.

The work on building the bridge that will link Bantwal town with Jakribettu began at a cost of Rs 50 lac, three years ago.  The work was delayed citing monsoon and technical reasons for nearly two years.  Although a dirt road was laid for the traffic, it was washed away causing hardships to motorists and local residents. 

In spite of the protests by the people and so as to restore the dirt road, neither the contractor nor the concerned department officials took early action on this.  The contractor, Gammon India, did not keep up their assurances despite announcing the deadline to complete the bridge many times.

Local MLA Ramanath Rai met KRDC officials and the locals on April 29 to review the work at the site.  Rai instructed the officials to expedite the work.  KRDC divisional engineer Manjunath, subdivision engineer Ravi Kiran, and Gammon India project engineer Sundar assured Rai and the local residents that work on the bridge will be completed and it will be opened to traffic by May 20. 

The work was still going on when this reporter visited the site on Monday May 23.  The local residents urge the concerned authorities to complete the work and open it for general traffic ahead of the monsoon rains this year.