KOCHI: On a train journey between Ernakulam and Tripunithura, one might spot, in the middle of a paddy field, four pillars and a girder placed across them that tower the railway tracks. It would seem like a gateway to Ernakulam.
In reality, the pillars and the girders are all there is to show for a Rs 34-crore railway project, the Mulanthuruthy railway overbridge (RoB), which was sanctioned five years ago but never took off in its entirety.
To be constructed by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK), the project ran into the same hiccups as any other project of its kind. An officer with the RBDCK said problems in land acquisition was dragging the project. Around 58.85 are of land has to be acquired for constructing the RoB.
“There are some hurdles in acquiring land. Once the land is acquired, the project will get on smoothly. RBDCK begins a work only after the entire land earmarked for the project is acquired,” said the officer. A ‘beneficial-to-all’ project
A feasibility and social impact study conducted by the Youth Social Service Organization of the MA College and submitted in August this year said that the RoB if constructed, would benefit local residents and many others.
It had said in accordance with the few level-cross policies of the Railways, many gates were decommissioned and RoBs were constructed.
“At present, a level cross is functional on the Mulanthuruthy-Chengolappadam Road. However, motorists frequenting this road have to face multiple blocks as it is a busy railway route with trains passing through the crossing every 15-30 minutes. The road is also not wide enough to accommodate traffic from both sides of the crossing,” the study had said.
The absence of a RoB also affects residents, as they have to wait a long time at the crossing even to visit nearby places. Another factor which makes the road important is its closeness to Chottanikkara Temple.
Unhappy commuters
Motorists and bus operators frequenting the route are not a happy lot. “It is tiring to be stuck at the level crossing. Sometimes, we have to wait for over 15 minutes. The gates are closed as soon as a train enters the Tripunithura railway station,” said a bus driver. “If the RoB is constructed, a lot of time spent travelling can be saved.
It will also lead to the widening of the road which, in turn, will help accommodate the large number of vehicles frequenting the road,” said Thomas Varghese, a government employee who frequents the route.