Baltana railway underpass nearing reality

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Zirakpur, April 2

Baltana railway underpass project has moved a step closer to seeing the light of day with the Northern Railway floating a tender of an estimated cost of Rs 4.94 crore for the construction of a limited height subway (2x7m x3.6m) at the level crossing No. C-123 on the Ambala-Kalka section recently.

The tender, invited on March 27, will be opened on April 28 (3 pm). The time period for the work is 12 months.

After the construction of the underpass, residents of Raipur Kalan, Vikas Nagar, Baltana, Zirakpur, Dhakoli, Panchkula, Mauli Jagran and nearby areas will no longer have to wait at the level crossing when a train arrives and remain stuck in traffic jams.

“There are around 36 housing societies here, the residents of which face problems due to this level crossing,” said Raj Kumar Sharma, a resident of Harmilap Nagar.

The construction of the underpass will be carried out in collaboration by the Railways and the UT Administration with both almost equally sharing the cost of the entire project, including paraphernalia.

“Residents have been demanding for an underpass here since 2017. Four fast-unto-death campaigns have been held, but it is only now that things have started moving,” said Pratap Rana, who staged a five-day protest last week to press for the underpass.

“Many a time, residents distributed sweets after getting false assurances from the government and the railways authorities,” he added.

As the level crossing falls in the Chandigarh territory having a boundary with Baltana, the construction work of the underpass needed clearances from various departments of the Railways, the UT Administration and the Punjab Government, leading to the delay. Several interstate meetings had been held over the underpass during the past seven years.

Project details

Rs 4.94 crore Cost

Dimensions: Limited height underpass of 2x7m x 3.6m

Tender: Floated on March 27, to be opened on April 28 (3 pm)

Time period: 12 months