Bhubaneswar: Days after TOI highlighted the condition of Satarnala old bridge on Gangua Nullah near Pandara Square here, a team of officials from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the revenue department and Odisha State Archaeology visited the site on Saturday and inspected the structure.The team also examined land maps and related documents of the area before govt takes a decision on preserving the century-old monument. The bridge was built around 1850 during the British period and was part of the old Jagannath Sadak leading to Puri.“A team from the land section of BMC, along with others, visited the Satarnala old bridge to conduct a field inquiry. After they submit their report, the govt will decide on further course of action,” said Manmath Kumar Nayak, deputy commissioner, north zone, BMC.After the field verification, the team found that Satarnala bridge is situated on plot no. 3108, which belongs to the general administration department of Odisha govt. NH-316 is located on the eastern side of the old bridge and comes under land acquired by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), according to a note prepared by the team after the site visit.“On the northern side, the Sata Bhauni Peetha temple exists, while the boundary wall of a showroom is located on the southern side. There is a 24-ft gap between NH-316 and the Satarnala bridge. The bridge is 101 feet long and 10 feet wide,” said the official note, which bears the signatures of officials and locals.Local activist Narayan Prusty, who has been urging govt to preserve the monument, said the field verification and inspection mark a step towards protecting the structure. “We hope the government will take an immediate decision to preserve this old bridge, which was part of the old Jagannath Sadak,” he said.The 19th-century laterite bridge has been facing neglect and encroachment. Pilgrims once used it while travelling to Puri Jagannath Temple and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has documented the bridge as a rare surviving example of traditional laterite engineering.The bridge rises nearly 18 ft above the riverbed. The state archaeology department had repaired it in the 1980s. Odisha State Archaeology said the bridge is not protected either by it or by Archaeological Survey of India. The department had sought details from BMC on the ownership and legal status of the land. Land records are required before any conservation or restoration work can be proposed, official sources said.
