RailEnquiry

With the railway tracks near Amrita Institute of Medical Centre near Edappally railway station taking its toll on passers-by, the long-pending demand for an RoB in the area  has gathered momentum. The Ponekkara residents  suggest that a railway overbridge will help prevent similar mishaps in the future.At present, everyone who wants to reach  Amrita Hospital will have to cross the railway tracks on foot making the area a sensitive spot for accidents.If an RoB is commissioned, the patients can reach the hospital easily without crossing the tracks. At least 10 people were run over by trains lives have been claimed on the  tracks here since the inception of the station, says Francis K A, a resident. Almost  all of them are usually patients on their way to the hospital.At present, there is a foot overbridge in the railway station, which the patients can use if they want to cross to the other side. “But that is also a tedious task because the platforms are short and they would have to walk a long way to reach the platform,” he said.The demand for a second RoB at Ponekkara began years ago by the residents associations keeping in mind the difficulty the patients of Amritha Hospital face.Also, once the RoB comes up, the accessibilty to the NH-47 becomes much easier for the residents of Ponekkara.

According to sources, all paper works of the RoB are currently in the consideration of the railways. Once approved, the work will be submitted over to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala.