Jharsuguda: A foundation stone has been laid for a connecting bridge between Pujaripali in Laxmanpur block of Jharsuguda district and Ambabhona in Bargarh via Pujaripali-Jarimuli. The proposed 3-kilometer-long bridge will connect Jarimuli. The project was virtually inaugurated on Thursday by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari from Bhubaneswar. Simultaneously, a local event was held at the Bhikhampali High School ground, where many people who had long dreamt of this project and Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari were present.
The state’s longest bridge to be constructed over the Mahanadi at the Hirakud reservoir is expected to greatly benefit the people residing in the area, especially the third generation of those displaced by the Hirakud Dam project. An estimated cost of ₹274 crore has been allocated for this project.
In his address, Minister Pujari described the Hirakud dam displacement as one of the largest in the world. About 26,000 families and over 100,000 people were displaced. This sudden displacement led to the separation of siblings and fathers from sons. Some ended up in Bargarh, others in Laxmanpur, and some even reached Chhattisgarh. Due to the dam, many of these displaced families lost all connection with each other.