Surendrapur Villagers Demand Shifting Of High Tension Electric Tower From Football Field

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Villagers of Surendrapur under Khinda gram panchayat in Angul district have demanded diversion of high tension electric lines which goes over the football field.

They alleged that the lives of budding football players of the village are at risk as most of the time the vicinity of the football field remain charged due to high flow of current overhead. Players said they get electric shocks while playing football during rainy season. ' The spectators who gather near the field to enjoy village tournaments during rain often complained that their umbrella sticks get charged with electricity.

Even they fear to lift their arms to cheer up the players. Therefore, most prefer not to come near the field during rain for fear of their lives', the football players said.

The district administration, however, is surprisingly not aware of this danger. A sum of Rs 3,00,284 was spent during 2020-21 under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGS) for upgradation of the existing football field despite the lurking danger of high voltage electricity. Official sources said that the administration is planning to set up the upcoming village stadium at the place near the high voltage electric transmission tower that crosses the football field.

If this is true, then the administration will be held responsible for the calamity that might occur in the future due to proximity of 133 KV high voltage electricity tower, office bearers of a number of football clubs of the area alleged. They said the administration must take necessary step to divert the transmission lines for the safety of footballers of the region. The administration cannot ignore the risk and health hazard of the football players, they said and added that it is high time that a decision to the end must be taken.  

Black Spots Responsible For Accidents In Old Cuttack-Sambalpur Road, Traffic Management In Shambles

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The busy old Cuttack-Sambalpur road passing through Bantala under Angul district has become accident prone at several stretches due to absence of traffic management.

Police personnel at Bantala allegedly seem to be little concerned over the issue. The Inspector In Charge of Bantala police station has not taken the required step to field traffic staff at busy intersections of the route.     

A number of black spots have emerged on old Cuttack-Sambalpur road which are responsible for causing deadly accidents in the past few months. Reports said the intersections at Badkera touching NH 55, Bantala square, Sarangpur, Beda, Mahidharpur and Satamile have become dangerous spots for the motorists as well as commuters who prefer to take the route to reach Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Raipur.

The above mentioned spots have witnessed a number of fatal accidents in the recent past in which over a dozen of persons have either died or injured severely. As four lane work of NH 55 passing through Angul, Banarpal and Dhenkanal is being done at a snail's pace, motorists are preferring to commute through Badakera-Bantala-Athagarh old Cuttack-Sambalpur road to avoid potholes and heavy traffic bottlenecks.

Heavy flow of traffic through old Cuttack-Sambalpur road has worsened its condition. A number of stretches of the road have developed cracks with potholes due to sheer pressure of heavy vehicles particularly truck trailers. The PWD, it is alleged, does not take up repair work at regular intervals to keep it motorable free from accidents.