Balasore, July 30: Uncertainty looms over the construction of a flyover near Tamulia railway level crossing in the district headquarters town. Local residents are angry because of the inordinate delay in the construction of the proposed structure.

The assistant general manager of South Eastern Railways visited Balasore station yesterday, following the visit of the divisional railway manager of Kharagpur on Tuesday.

“The railway ministry has already approved the proposal for the flyover bridge project, which has been sent to the state government for follow-up action. The state government will provide land and execute the work while the railways will bear 50 per cent of the cost,” said Kharagpur divisional railway manager Rajib Kumar Kulshrestha.

Assistant general manager, South Eastern Railway, Pramod Kumar, repeated the same when he visited Balasore railway station yesterday.

The flyover plan needs to change because the road connecting the level crossing with the town is being made into a four-lane one.

“We have a plan to make the Old Trunk road a four-lane one. So, the initial plan of building the flyover near Tamulia level crossing needs to change. I would request the state government to expedite the process according to the new plan,” said additional district magistrate Sribatsa Jena.

The proposal for construction of a flyover over the Tamulia level crossing was taken into consideration by the railway authorities after it attained the train vehicle units status. Surveys for the bridge were conducted by the technical team of railways in 2002 and 2009.

“A flyover at Tamulia crossing is an urgent requirement for this district. The industrially-vibrant and fast-expanding district has been suffering a lot,” said Himansu Das, an industrialist.

“The flyover touching Fakir Mohan circle, built on the initiative of former minister Samarendra Kundu, has eased traffic movement from the north end of the district and now it’s time for a flyover at Tamulia level crossing and two more near Sovarampur and Nayabazar,” he said.

Crossing the level crossing is a problem for buses and other vehicles plying between the district and Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other places south of the district.

In the absence of a flyover, the manned gate remains closed for at least 10 minutes for the passage of any train on up or down line. The clearance of traffic takes another 15 minutes after opening of the gate. School children, office goers and patients coming to the district headquarters hospital suffer on account of the level crossing gate, said local residents.

Railway statistics state that between 60 and 70 trains pass the level crossing.