The overbridge under construction at Muzaffarpur. Picture by Prakash Kumar

Muzaffarpur, Jan. 20: Four years have passed since the construction of an overbridge began at Motijheel railway crossing at Muzaffarpur-Samastipur section, but the work is far from over. The agony of the residents of the area keeps mounting.

Indian Railways Construction Company (Ircon), responsible for the construction of the bridge, has come under severe criticism over the tardy pace of progress.

Suresh Sharma, MLA from Muzaffarpur Town constituency, has now asked the Ircon to complete the construction of the over bridge latest by March 31.

Sharma has also requested the MP from Muzaffarpur seat, Captain Jai Narayan Nishad, and member of Rajya Sabha, Anil Sahni, to bring the issue up in the houses.

Captain Nishad told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi that he has written a letter to railway minister Mamata Banerjee to expedite the work in Muzaffarpur and criticised Ircon for its sluggish approach.

He pointed out even though four years have passed since the construction work began, he cannot see it ending before March 31.

The residents and the shopkeepers of Motijheel, Pandeylane, Daudi Lane, Tilak Maidan Road, Islampur and Shyamnandan Sahay Road protested the inordinate delay last week. Residents complained of a number of civic problems including waterlogging and choking of drains.

Drainwater in Motijheel is choked and has been over flowing on the roads. Residents alleged that Ircon has completely turned a deaf ear to the plight of the people in the area.

Ratan Kumar of Motijheel said: “Life has become extremely difficult for all the residents in the area.”

To add to their agony, even the municipal corporation has delayed the process of the construction of drains.

Mohammad Rizwan, a cloth merchant of Motijheel said: “Customers have almost stopped visiting my shop because of the overflow of drain water on the road just outside the shop. Only Ircon can be held solely responsible for this situation.”

Traders are at the receiving end, as the market as a whole does not see too many customers.

“Now, things have reached such a stage that the people are receiving contaminated water that is supplied by the corporation. Water pipes at several areas have been damaged. In fact they have been at several places, which has occurred in course of the construction of the bridge,” a resident of the area complained.

Residents of Motijheel had submitted a petition to the corporation commissioner, Ramavatar Ram seeking an immediate replacement of the damaged pipes.

The corporation commissioner squarely blamed the Ircon for the inordinate delay in completing the construction of the road over bridge.

The state government has also directed the Ircon to expedite the work at its earliest.