Ranchi, July 31: Kadru residents have changed their mind.
In November 2007 they protested the construction of a slip road under the road overbridge (ROD) between the Ranchi and Hatia railway stations at Kadru. Now they have stopped the construction of the bridge demanding the slip road.
Their protests have led Simplex Projects Limited (SPL), the company in charge of the construction project on the directions of the Kokan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), to stop work for the past 17 days.
“We stopped working since July 16 after residents of Pul Toli in Kadru assaulted my labourers and seized our dumpers. We have also lodged an FIR in this connection at Doranda police station. We are confused after the residents’ change of mind. I find myself unable to decide how a group, which had prevented us from constructing the slip road last year has now prevented us from constructing the bridge demanding the same slip road,” said Amar Nath Singh, the regional manager of Simplex Company.
The deputy general manager (ROBs) of KRCL, G.B. Nagendra, has complained to the secretary of the road construction department, N.N. Sinha, who discussed the matter with deputy commissioner Abinash Kumar, and gave necessary directions. But despite Sinha’s intervention nothing has been done in this matter so far.
Nagendra told The Telegraph that the railway department is ready for the slip road but it is not possible to the work unless some private plots are acquired by the state government and encroachments removed by the local administration. “Also, we cannot do anything during the monsoon,” he added.
Local residents said they are not against road development but want the slip road before the overbridge is complete. “The construction of the bridge is almost complete but we need slip roads on either side of the Doranda approach road. We know that if the bridge is constructed, KRCL will never make the slip road,” a locality resident said.
When asked about the change in demand, residents claimed that they never opposed the construction of the slip road. According to them, some elements had disturbed the construction work last year.
The ROB is a 10-crore project that started in November 2003 by the joint efforts of the state government and KRCL. It was expected to be complete within 24 months but could not be completed even till March 31 this year. Due to delay in construction, the state government has started collecting Rs 5 lakh per month as penalty from contractors since March this year. The length of the bridge is 700m and 650m has been completed. The remaining work can be completed within a month.
Sources said that they had expected to inaugurate the bridge on August 15, which now seems impossible.
