Bhubaneswar, Sept. 30: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today laid the foundation stone for a railway flyover near Pokhariput, which will be constructed with an investment of around Rs 32 crore.
Delay in the construction of the flyover has been causing serious problems for local residents and those who commute between Bhimatangi and Khandagiri. The Telegraph had published a report on their problems on August 13.
Executive engineer, division-II of the public works department, Ranjit Sahu, said: “The flyover will be 673 metres long.” Sahu said while the bridge will cost Rs 21 crore, the approach road, land acquisition and replacement of a police colony would cost another Rs 11 crore. Work has already begun on a diversion that commuters will use when the construction starts. The deadline for completing the flyover is May 27, 2014.
The approach road to the Bhimatangi end of the bridge will not be straight towards Sundarpada, but will turn towards Ekamra Collage Road because the engineers found that it was not technically feasible to have a straight road.
People, at present, have to spend between 20 and 30 minutes to cross the stretch. The problem becomes acute when the nearby school and colleges are open. After The Telegraph’s August 13 report, the authorities expedited their efforts.
Railway authorities have also started working on the construction work within the railway land. The practice across the country is that the railways construct the portion of such projects that fall on their land and the state agency constructs the connecting roads.
Councillor of ward No. 30 Hrudayaballabh Samantray said: “Areas such as Old Town, Kapilaprasad, Bhimatangi, Pokhariput, Gandamunda, Bhaktamadhu Nagar and Jagamara will benefit from the flyover.”
Local resident Ganesh Prasad Parida said: “The work order to start the flyover came late, but we are happy that it has finally started.”
“Though the state government has announced the plan, the land acquisition is going on very slowly. The process should be expedited if the work has to finish on time,” said a public works department official on condition of anonymity.
