Railway overbridge almost ready, awaits inauguration

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 20

The construction of Verka railway overbridge is almost completed, but the administration, instead of opening it for the public, is waiting for some high profile political personality to inaugurate it.

However, officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) say that the finishing work is going on and it will take some time. Concrete blocks have been placed at the entry point of the bridge to restrict the entry of vehicles. Sources say the authorities want it to be inaugurated by a minister.

The railway overbridge would make the commuting easy not only for the public, but also for metro buses being run under the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). Despite the completion of the work on the bridge, the metro buses are still running trough railway crossings under the bridge. The bridge, after being opened, will save time of the commuters.

An employee of the BRTS firm said the construction of the bridge was complete so it should be opened for traffic without delay. “The authorities concerned want to get it inaugurated from a minister. It should be opened right away for the convenience of the public as well as the metro buses,” he said.

PWD Executive Engineer JS Sodhi said, “The construction work is almost complete. The finishing work is going on and it will take some time. The bridge will be ready to open for the traffic after two weeks.”

When asked about the planning of the inauguration from some minister, Sodhi said, “The government will decide about the inauguration. We haven’t planned anything in this regard.”