Title - Traffic respite nowhere in sight

Three years on, a railway overbridge at one of the busiest places in Titilagarh is yet to be completed. The construction company, which managed to complete less than half of the project, has abandoned it.An official of the public works department (PWD) said that work would resume only after a new firm was selected through a fresh tender. The overbridge is important because it will ease the traffic situation in the town to a great extent.Sources said the estimated cost of the project was Rs 14 crore when it started in 2009. The Raipur-Gopalpur national highway (NH-59) passes through Titilagarh.Titilagarh is a busy railway junction in western Odisha and the level crossing gate remains closed most of the time creating serious traffic problems.“Construction of the railway overbridge in Titilagarh is a welcome move by the government. It is sad that it has not been completed even after three years because of the indifference of both the government and the construction company. When completed, it will solve traffic problems of the town to a great extent,” said Sutanu Sahu, a resident of Hatpadapada area of the town.Haribandhu Mishra, another local resident, said there were important establishments on both sides of the level crossing where the overbridge was being constructed. “While on one side there are the business houses, on the other are the daily and weekly markets, the DAV College and the Powmex steel factory. The overbridge will serve as a lifeline to the commuters of both sides when complete. But the half-complete bridge is creating even more traffic problems,” Mishra said.The project was initially delayed because of a lack of coordination between the PWD, Western Electricity Supply Company of Odisha Limited and the railway departments. But the project work completely stopped after the construction company backed out of the project for unknown reasons.Assistant engineer of Titilagarh PWD Himanshu Mandal said if everything went right, the bridge would have been ready by now. “We are planning to invite fresh tenders from interested firms. The work can resume only after a new firm is selected,” he said.