A long-time dream of the people of the city has come true with the commissioning of the Pachalam Railway Overbridge (RoB) on Monday. The project, which received bouquets as well as brickbats alike during the course of construction, was opened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in a festive atmosphere.
People, all cheering, walked along as an open jeep carrying the Chief Minister, Electricity and Railway Minister Aryadan Mohammed, K V Thomas MP and Hibi Eden MLA slowly moved from Chathyath Junction to the venue of the inauguration of the RoB. A band played along.
Schoolchildren lined up to welcome the guests on either side with pom-poms in hand.
Chandy started his inaugural speech by thanking the people who gave away their land for the RoB project. The government is committed to reach out to those who suffer for development of the state, he assured them. “Joint effort and realistic approach are vital for development. Panchalam RoB is a success model in which everyone put in their effort in a cohesive manner,” said the Chief Minister.
Aryadan Mohammed presided over the inaugural function. The project was taken up by the government as part of the preparatory works for the Kochi Metro Rail, even though it had nothing to do with the Metro project. The only consideration was the long-term demand of the public and the insistence of the people’s representatives, he said.
K Babu, K V Thomas MP, MLAs Hibi Eden, Ludy Luiz and Dominic Presentation, Mayor Soumini Jain, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Principal Advisor E Sreedharan and District Collector M G Rajamanickam were among those who spoke at the function.
Kudos to DMRC
The completion of Pachalam RoB has turned out to be another feather in the cap of the DMRC, which took only 12 months to complete the project and it saved Rs 13 crore, when compared to the initial estimate. “The DMRC could complete the project well below the estimated cost,” said Dr E Sreedharan.
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The estimated cost of the RoB project was Rs. 52.70 crore. But the bridge could be completed at just Rs 39.50 crore, saving 13 crore,” he explained, amid loud applause from the crowd gathered at the inaugural session. The DMRC spent 25 per cent less than the total estimated cost.
The government decision to incorporate the RoB in the preparatory works of the Kochi Metro Rail was anno unced in December 2013. The works started in March 2014 but were halted after three months following local protests. The project was in limbo for nine months. After resuming the construction, the DMRC completed it with another nine months, taking only 12 months altogether. “Normally, such projects take 18 to 20 months. It is a first in Kerala that such a project was completed in 12 months,” said Sreedharan.
The story so far
People waited for more than 30 years after the railway overbridge (RoB) was first mooted to ease the traffic along the Pachalam-Vaduthala route. Numerous agitations marked the period till the state government decided in 2013 to go forward with the project along with the Kochi Metro Rail project. The course of the RoB project was not without problems either. Land acquisition, compensation and differences over alignment of the bridge drew local protests. The project was halted owing to local agitations. The workers were targeted by agitators. However, the project was completed under police protection. The initial plan was to construct an RoB of 22 m width. But limited availability of land and other resources forced the DMRC to change the alignment and revise the design restricting the width of the bridge to 10 m.
No toll please!
When the state cabinet decided to take up the Pachalam RoB project as a preparatory project of the Kochi Metro Rail, it was an unprecedented move. It is also special since it does not collect toll from the users. “The project estimate was Rs 52.70 crore. Normally, such big projects used to have a provision to collect toll. But the government decided to go without it,” said Aryadan Mohammed. “Now, we are handing the bridge over to Kochi Corporation. The maintenance and related issues will now be responsibility of the Corporation. The Corporation also should not collect toll,” the Minister said.