Delays dog Shastripuram ROB works
Rangareddy: The sheer lack of coordination between officials from the GHMC and railways is leading to delay in completing the road over bridge (ROB) at a railway halt in Shastripuram, an area close to national highway-44 on the city outskirts.
Considered one of the most delayed-ever joint ventures of GHMC and railways, the ROB was proposed to overcome perennial traffic issues at Uddamgadda railway halt through upgrading a time-saving passage connecting the NH 44 to Old Karnul Road and further to the Srisailam Highway.
The project, with an outlay of Rs 71 crore, was mooted in 2017 but was finally grounded in 2021 after several rounds of deliberations between among the officials. However, despite eight long years of public suffering, the project is yet to be completed.
While the GHMC babus are pointing fingers at the laxity of railway officials for the delay in completion of works, the railways appears completely impassive towards speeding up the deck slam works Although the railways got an arguably meagre amount of work on its part, officials said its officials allegedly by their procrastination approach dragged the mere deck-slab work in the middle of the bridge since the last five years.
According to GHMC Superintendent Engineer (project wing) Dattupant, "So far, 90% of the whole 490 meters of work, that includes land acquisition and utility cost amounting Rs.71 crore, awarded to the civic body has been completed. Ramps on both sides were completed and remaining works are in progress. However, the railways got merely 20% of remaining task yet to be completed." "The delay has already claimed at least three lives in the past eight years," rued, Syed Shoukat Ali, a senior community activist from the area.
“Besides, the delay has badly disturbed local businesses and routine lives of the local people who are forced to take a seven km long route to reach the other side of the railway halt located in their own area due to road closure,” he added.
"The taxpayers, both the local people and the commuters, were forced to grin and bear all the years as the only road passing through the railway halt at Uddamgadda was closed completely since five years. Inordinate delay in execution of deck-slab work plagued the routine lives of the locals, traders and commuters while people were left to the tender mercies of both the civic body and the railways in the name of providing development," laments N Mahender, a resident of Mailardevpally.