Title - Tough time for residents Construction of railway overbridge causes inconvenience to people

Sahnewal : The construction of Sahnewal railway overbridge seems to be taking a heavy toll on residents especially during the rainy season when the wet slippery mud spreads all over the road and becomes risky for commuters.A commuter fractured his arm as he fell from his scooter while passing from the road. "This is the worst part of the construction work that is going on. As I was passing through the road, my scooter lost balance and before I could realise what had actually happened, I found myself on the hospital bed. The doctor said that there are multiple fractures and it can take months together to heal. The day the work on the overbridge started, I was overjoyed but today I feel that why did the work ever start. The troublesome leve-crossing was far better than the present condition at least our limbs were intact at that time.""Whenever an overbridge or a road is to be constructed, the authorities have to first accommodate the existing rush by erecting a temporary service road on the either side but nothing was done in this case. As the vertical pillars are being erected the clay from under them has made life miserable for residents," viewed a resident."Our business has suffered largely due to the ongoing construction. No shopper dares to cross this clay filled slippery road unless and until there is a dire need for it. Everybody does not have a four wheeler. A majority of residents have to cross on two wheelers. The authorities will have to think about it at the earliest otherwise more people will meet the same fate in the near future," complained a resident."I pray to God every day before going to bed that there should be no rain as I have to attend college. I too had a bad experience the other day. I was on my Activa and was carefully driving through the road when it slipped and hit another scoote. I panicked and fainted. From that day, this path has become a nightmare for me and I don't want it to rain at any cost," rued a college student.PWD official Gurvinder Singh said, "This overbridge is being erected on the earnest demand of the residents. Whenever such constructions are done, the residents have to face some sort of inconvenience for some period of time. The foundation of the vertical pillars, from where the clay erupts, have to be as strong as possible. It is only after their firmness is assured that we can construct a service road on both sides and in no case before that. We have been cooperating with the shopkeepers. They don't allow us to throw water around. The drainage system of the town is not that good that it can seep in all water in minutes. Even then we are trying to finish off the work at the earliest so that the service roads are constructed at the earliest."