Five years on, ROB at Ferozepur’s Makhu still to see light of day

ADC SAYS A NEW CONTRACTOR IS BEING ENGAGED BY THE NHAI AND WORK ON ROB WILL COMMENCE WITHIN A WEEK

FEROZEPUR: The over five-year delay in the completion of a railway over bridge at Makhu, a rural town of Ferozepur, has disturbed the day-to-day life of the local residents and commuters on the Amritsar-bathinda national highway, who are forced to take a detour or face heavy traffic jams regularly.

Even though the majority of the road at the Amritsar-bathinda National Highway-54 was completed in 2017, the railway over bridge on the railway level crossing at Makhu has been lying incomplete. The construction of the bridge began in March 2016.

The residents of the denselypopulated Makhu complain that normal life in the town gets affected as they now have to take a detour for their daily commute or face traffic chaos regularly. Frequent and prolonged closure of the levelcrossing gates due to heavy train movement has also become a headache for the travellers.

“It’s very saddening that heavy tolls are charged from commuters on this highway but authorities are not bothered to resolve the issue,” said Pardeep Dhingra, 56, a frequent traveller on this highway.

Satwant Singh, 49, Fatehgarh Sabrah village said that with about 12 passenger trains and 15 goods train running daily on this rail track, the level crossing has become a constant source of traffic disruption.

“The situation becomes worrisome when an ambulance carrying a patient gets stuck at the crossing. Every time a train crosses, there are traffic jams on either side. The traffic takes time to streamline even once the gates are opened,” said Vikas Passi, 34, a social activist.

Chaman Lal Sharma, 75, a native of Ferozepur, said, “I have waited at this level-crossing as a youngster and now my son waits here after these many years.”

Amit Mahajan, additional deputy commissioner (general), Ferozepur, acknowledged the delay in the completion of the bridge. “The contractor who undertook tender to construct the railway over bridge somehow got into a clash with National Highways Authorities following which the work got delayed,” Mahajan said. “The new contractor is being engaged by the National Highway Authority and within a week, work will re-commence to construct the bridge,” he said.