Title - RoB racing towards completion

The bridge will be formally inaugurated in July, says official. After being struck in a limbo following delay in land acquisition processes, the construction of a Rail over Bridge (RoB) on Pedanandipadu Road here picked up pace.The Roads and Buildings Department is now confidant that the major portion of the work would be completed and traffic would be allowed on the RoB by the end of April.The R&B Department would then take up works relating to laying of cement service roads.The RoB would be inaugurated in July. The revised estimates for the RoB are pegged at Rs.24 crore, out of which the R&B Department has spent Rs.8.65 Crore for awarding compensation.“Traffic will be allowed on the RoB from the end of April to allow the road to sink and align to the slabs. The BT laying would be completed within three months and the official inauguration is likely to be in ’’ R & B deputy executive engineer K. Ramesh told The Hindu.The RoB running to a length of 862 metres has 21 RCC slabs in all.The original design has 12 slabs each to the north and south of railway track. Forum for Better Bapatla secretary P.C Saibabu said the original design was changed after the Revenue Department encountered problems in land acquisition and the new design had 12 slabs towards the north and 9 slabs towards the south (vegetable market).

As a result, the RoB takes a broad swipe towards the end where the vegetable market is located.

The construction of the RoB on the Level Crossing no. 255 (Jammulapalem Railway Gate) of Howrah-Chennai railway main line at Bapatla was taken up in November 2008. But the delay in land acquisition of the land and the long drawn legal wrangles meant that the R & B Department could begin the work only in July 2010.

The State government has already awarded Rs.6,30,47,972 in lieu of compensation for land and structures on 3,705.49 square yards.

But for the residents of Railpet, Christ Nagar and other colonies, the misery continues as there are no service roads forcing the commuters and pedestrians to use the sandy stretch of the road. For years, they have been forced to take a circular route crossing railway tracks to reach the town.

The harrowing experience of having to trudge the sandy stretch to The Salvation Army High School and the Church have often been highlighted during the grievance day, but the R&B has not taken any action so far.

“We urge the R & B take up works of laying CC service roads first to ensure a hassle free ride as a lot of elderly people use the road to commute to the school and the church,’’ says P. Devavaram, a senior physician.