Panchkula’s wait for ROB gets longer

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 5

The railway overbridge (ROB) to be constructed over the railway line passing through Sector 19 here would be delayed as the Railways has failed to approve the design submitted by the Haryana Public Works Department (PWD).

According to information, the PWD had invited tenders for December 3. However, the same had to be cancelled as the Railways has not so far accorded approval to the final design submitted by the department. 

The ROB has been planned for the site to give relief to the residents from traffic jams in the area. The railway crossing is closed 46 times a day. The crossing remains closed for ten minutes every time a train has to pass from there. 

Vishal Seth, technical adviser to PWD, had said a pre-bid meeting of the construction companies interested in the project had already been held to brief them about the details of the work and the conditions. They were provided with the design, which was sent to the Railways for approval. He said the bidders had been informed about the condition of completing the project without any delay.

It is pertinent to mention here that while giving administrative approval to the Rs 25-crore project to the Engineer-in-Chief of the PWD (Bridges and Roads), the Urban Local Bodies Department had clearly mentioned that the department must follow directions of the Supreme Court on road safety while carrying out the work. It was also stated that a road safety audit should be conducted at construction and operational stages.

In a recent survey by the Railways, it was found that 1 lakh vehicles ply on the road each day. Local residents witness traffic jams on the crossing on a daily basis. 

In December 2015, local BJP MLA Gian Chand Gupta had written to the then Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu, regarding the construction of a ROB or a railway underbridge.