Port Blair, Jan 08: CPI (M) has demanded immediate repair of roads and construction of bridges at Laxmipur and Madhupur Gram Panchayats in Diglipur. In a letter sent to the Chief Engineer, APWD after a visit to Diglipur, D. Ayyappan, Secretary, CPI (M) A & N State Organising Committee said that the construction of the proposed road from Mauries Tirkey Jn to Stone Quarry in Ward No. 4 of Madhupur is yet to begin.
He has further brought to the notice of the Chief Engineer, APWD that a culvert along the road from 11 Family Jn to Dunghi Ghat at Ward No.1 of Laxmipur Gram Panchayat got damaged due to subsidence of soil. Half of the road has caved in because of which the bus service in the route has been stopped. He said that the people are now used to walking over the nearly 3 KM road to reach the main road. About 50 – 60 families are using this road. CPI (M) demanded that this culvert has to be repaired immediately to resume the bus service along the said road.
CPI (M) Secretary further pointed out the dangerous condition of the Laxmipur 8 Family Steel Bridge at Laxmipur Ward No.3. The steel bridge was erected about 20 years back and it outlived its longevity and the vehicular traffic is restricted over it. Ayyappan told the Chief Engineer that heavy vehicles are completely prohibited over the bridge because of which the villagers are facing hardship to transport various materials to the village. Repeated assurances were given to the villagers by the authorities concerned but the bridge has not been replaced either by steel bridge or concrete bridge. CPI (M) demanded that the steel bridge be replaced by a cement concrete bridge.