Crossing a dicey RoB

Warangal: Unless something goes drastically wrong, the proposed second road over bridge (RoB) at Fathima Nagar could well be a reality, it seems. The road mishap that occurred on the existing narrow RoB the other day reflects how dicier the travel is. It was a lucky escape for the passengers travelling in a TSRTC bus, which collided with a lorry.

It's been more than one-and-a-half-year since Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao laid the foundation stone for the proposed second RoB, however it remained a dream for the denizens with the State government failing to release funds.

The existing bridge constructed across the Kazipet-Balharsha railway line in 1978 is not only vital for the city dwellers but also to transport vehicles passing through the National Highway-163 that connects Hyderabad-Bhopalpatnam. With the ever-increasing number of motor vehicles, it has become a herculean task for the commuters as they were often seen stuck in traffic jams for the last couple of decades.

Against this backdrop, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao laid foundation stone for the construction of another RoB parallel to the existing one in October 2017 so as to ease the traffic. The CM also accorded Rs 78 crore administrative sanctions for it.

The Roads and Buildings (R&B), which proposed to construct the new one on the left side (Hanamkonda to Kazipet) of the existing one, needed to acquire little over 2 acres of land belonging to a Christian Missionary Institution and Railways.

It was also decided to construct a Bowstring bridge that projects the heritage ambience of the Kakatiya's capital, Warangal. It may be noted here that Bowstring bridge resembles a bow with a series of arches or a single arch at the top along the span of the bridge.

When the authorities called for the tenders, only one construction company came forward. Thereafter, the authorities called for

tenders twice.

Finally, when they finalised a contractor, the Railways didn't give clearance for the work commencement. It's learnt that the State government is yet to release Rs 3.8 crore to Railways towards land acquisition.

Speaking to The Hans India, R&B executive Engineer L Rajam said: "The contractor is ready to commence the work with the State government is yet to release Rs 3.8 crore towards land lease for 35 years and compensation for dismantling its quarters that come in the way of RoB construction. With model code of conduct in place for the last few months, the government has not released funds."

This apart, the Revenue Department is yet to identify the oustees of the land to be acquired for the RoB adjacent to St Gabriel School, the EE said.

"The bus-lorry collision that took place a couple of days ago indicates the problems faced by the motorists. It took about 10 hours for the authorities to clear the traffic on the RoB after the mishap. It's high time that government needs to focus on the construction of second RoB or else it's nothing, but we are inviting a major accident," G Kumar, a private employee who commutes between Kazipet and Hanamkonda daily.