First Rains Wash Away ₹1,300-Crore Highway Stretch in Chhotaudepur

The first spell of monsoon rain in Chhotaudepur district has exposed alleged shortcomings in the pre-monsoon work carried out by the administration and contractors on the ₹1,300-crore National Highway-56 (NH-56) project, with flooding reported on roads and agricultural fields.

According to locals, soil excavation for the highway-widening project and the absence of an adequate drainage system resulted in waterlogging on roads and inundation of nearby farmland, triggering resentment among villagers and farmers.

Lunadara village loses road connectivity

The only main road leading to Lunadara village in Bodeli taluka remained submerged under water from early Wednesday morning.

According to local residents:

• The flooding occurred due to the absence of a proper water drainage system during the highway construction work.
• The submerged road has cut off the village from road connectivity.

Lunadara has a population of approximately 1,200.

Residents expressed concern that if heavier rainfall occurs in the coming days, any medical emergency could become difficult to handle due to the lack of access.

Farmland inundated along highway

The situation was also reported to be serious along the Naswadi-Kosindra stretch of NH-56.

According to local residents:

• The absence of adequate roadside drains or water outlets caused rainwater to flow directly from the highway into adjoining agricultural fields.
• Thousands of bighas of farmland were inundated during the first spell of rain.

Residents alleged that officials and engineers had not visited the affected areas despite the flooding.

Farmers suffer losses

The rainfall reportedly caused significant damage to recently sown fields.

• Farmers had recently purchased expensive seeds and completed sowing.
• The strong flow of rainwater washed away the newly sown seeds.
• Large areas of farmland were flooded during the first monsoon spell.

Locals seek action

Residents alleged that inadequate planning and negligence during the highway construction had contributed to the flooding.

They said the first rains had:

• Submerged the only access road to Lunadara village.
• Flooded thousands of bighas of farmland.
• Washed away recently sown crops.

Local villagers and farmers have demanded that the authorities put in place proper water drainage arrangements at the earliest.