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World Bank withdraws funding to 318-cr road project
The Rs 318 crore World Bank-aided road project connecting Port city Kakinada to Rajamahendravaram for a distance of 55 kms lapsed due to non-execution of works for five years.
Kakinada: The Rs 318 crore World Bank-aided road project connecting Port city Kakinada to Rajamahendravaram for a distance of 55 kms lapsed due to non-execution of works for five years.
The road project was cleared in the year 2011 and it was planned to connect Kakinada to Vemagiri, on the outskirts of Rajamahendravaram. It was planned to lay the road along the irrigation canal touching Samarlakota, Biccavole, Anaparty and Dwarampudi. Land was acquired for the road construction and encroachments were removed in 2015. The project was awarded to Maitas Construction Company owned by a people’s representative from Guntur district.
The first stretch was a four-lane road between Kakinada-Samarlakota, covering a distance of 16 kms. From there, 22 mts wide road was planned for the rest of the distance up to Vemagiri. The contractors demanded the entire stretch of road extension and not in parts. The officials could not fulfil their demand.
Meanwhile, the WB authorities paid more than Rs 20 crore towards rehabilitation for the displaced persons. According to sources the contractors did not show interest in completing the project as the norms set up for execution were not favourable to them. No action was initiated for the delay in execution due to political reasons. The non-execution of works for five years said to have prompted the WB to withdraw from the project.
Former Kakinada Rural MLA, Kurasala Kanna Babu said that, he himself took initiative for clearing the project during 2009-11 as part of the road falls in his constituency. Because of delay in the execution by the executing agency, the WB withdrew from the project.
East Godavari R and B superintending engineer( SE) C S N Murty said that as the WB withdrew from the project, the road maintenance has been entrusted back to R & B department.
However Kakinada Rural MLA, Pilli Anantalakshmi expressed hopes for execution of road works. ``We hope that some new company will take up the execution of the project as the ground work of rehabilitation had been completed,’’ she said.
By L Anjaneyulu
