This Odisha Man Is Building A Bridge With His Pension Money

Anandpur: He is neither a leader nor a minister, but a retired livestock inspector who has won the hearts of people of his village and received accolades from all quarters for his noble and selfless initiative.

With a desire to do something for his native village, Kanapur in Hatadihi block of Keonjhar district, after retirement, Gangadhar Rout decided to complete construction of a small concrete bridge over the Salandi river.

As the agricultural land of the residents of Kanapur village lies on the opposite side of the Salandi river, the residents used to cross the river wading through waist-high water every day to cultivate their land.

To solve their perennial problem, construction of a small bridge had started three years ago with financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh from members of the Keonjhar Truck Owners’ Association and the Hatadihi Block office.

However, the bridge remained incomplete after construction of only three out of 12 spans because of lack of funds.

Realising the financial constraints, Gangadhar took the initiative to complete construction of the bridge. “The estimated cost for construction of the remaining part of the bridge is Rs 8 lakh, which I have decided to invest from my pension account,” he said.