Odisha govt sets deadline for bridge construction

The Odisha government has directed the rural development department to begin construction work of at least 200 bridges, including the 145 projects sanctioned under Biju Setu Yojana (BSY), by the end of this fiscal, official sources said.
Chief secretary A P Padhi, while reviewing the progress of bridge construction work across the state today, asked the engineers of the department to wrap up the tender process by November 30 and begin fieldwork in December.
Padhi also asked the officials to enforce safety guidelines and ensure the use of quality material for bridge construction.
The secretary of the department, B P Sethi, said a mechanism has been put in place for quality control checks.

"We will carry out inspections during procurement of raw material, when the work is in progress and also when the maintenance work is carried out," Sethi said.
The department has constructed 500 bridges over the last three years at a cost of Rs 1069 crore, he added.