National Highways Authority of India begins repair work on damaged Kalinga Ghat stretch

Berhampur: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday start repairing the damaged stretch of NH-157 in Kalinga Ghat. Vehicular movement on the highway stretch, a vital communication link between Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, has been shut since Tuesday afternoon after the area was damaged in landslides.Official sources said it would take 7 to 10 days to reopen traffic via a single route. “It is expected to take 7 to 10 days to complete the temporary work, depending on weather conditions,” said collector (Kandhamal) Vedbhusan after assessing the situation on the spot and discussing with NHAI engineers on Thursday.He directed engineers concerned to expedite the repair work after removing the debris. The repair work began after the flow of water decreased, while senior NHAI engineers are supervising the work on site, Vedbhusan added.“Repair work is already underway, utilising various machines and manpower. Due to the highway damage spanning approximately 40 metres in length and around 12 metres deep, provisional repair is consuming time,” NHAI’s chief construction engineer Bankim Chandra Panda said. He added that they are attempting to open a single route on the highway through temporary repairs.NHAI chief engineer Narayan Agrawal was also on site to supervise the repair work.

Panda added that a clear picture of the repair completion is likely to emerge after Friday afternoon. “Debris clearance has already been carried out in some nearby areas, but the main challenges remain the 40-metre long highway damage and an old culvert,” he said.The Kandhamal administration on Thursday appealed to commuters to use an alternate route bypassing the Kalinga Ghat for a few days. Baliguda sub-collector Pranita Das said people can use the Galery-Chakapada and Gajalbadi-Daringibadi routes to approach Phulbani.Meanwhile, Sukant Panigrahy, MP (Kandhamal), spoke to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi over the phone and requested a speed up of the repair work. He also appealed for a proposal to the central govt for a permanent solution to the landslide problem. “I have also discussed with the engineers of the NHAI and asked them for preparation of a project report for the permanent solution of the issue,” Panigrahy said.