Cuttack: The newly-constructed concrete bridge connecting Dhabaleswar shrine with Athagarh in Odisha’s Cuttack district was opened for public on Wednesday.
“Though the construction work has not been fully completed, devotees and kawadiyas will be granted access to be able visit the 16th-century shrine in view of the holy Shravan month. The bridge will be officially inaugurated once the project work is completed,” informed Athagarh MLA and Odisha Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister, Ranendra Pratap Swain.
The 276-metre long and 6.2-metre wide bridge, connecting Mancheswar village with the shrine, has been constructed at a cost of Rs 22.28 crore under Biju Setu Yojana of the state government. “An approach road to the bridge has also been built with a parking lot,” said deputy collector Diptimayee Behera, in-charge of the temple.
Dhabaleswar temple, which is located on an island of the Mahanadi, remained out of bounds for devotees after a temporary wooden bridge was washed away following a surge in the water of the Mahanadi on June 30. Earlier, devotees either took boats or the suspension bridge constructed in 2006.The suspension bridge, however, was earlier also closed for public use after cracks were detected by an expert team, and the repair work is still on.
