Madhopur underpass bone of contention for Railways, PWD

Surinder Bhardwaj

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 3

The Madhopur underpass at Sirhind town, which is a lifeline between the National Highway (GT Road) and the Fatehgarh Sahib district, has become a bone of contention between the Railway Authorities and the state PWD. PWD Xen put the blame on the Railways authorities for not releasing the funds for laying the road, while on the other hand, the Deputy Manager of Dedicated Freight Corridor said the Railways have done their part of the job, adding that the construction of the road is the responsibility of the state PWD.

The underpass has been lying incomplete for over two years. It has caused inconvenience to thousands of devotees and commuters coming from Ambala, Ludhiana and Patiala as the bypass has not been metaled, making it difficult for vehicles to pass on the kutcha road.

XEN PWD Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon said the department is not responsible for the construction of the approaching roads. He said the Railways contractor refused to initiate the work, because of which the Railways approached the state department to complete the rest of the work. He said they asked for funds from the Railways, but to no avail.

Deputy Manager of Dedicated Freight Corridor Amar Nath Arora said the Railways have done their part of the job, adding that the construction of the road is the state department’s responsibility.

Deputy Commissioner Parneet Shergill said she has been writing to the Principal Secretary of the PWD to get the underpass road metaled. She said that during the annual Shaheedi Jor Mela they had to carry out temporary repairs to the underpass for the convenience of the devotees. She said she would write to the state government to get the work done as soon as possible.