FRASER TOWN: A foot overbridge has come up in Bengaluru East, and is expected to save many lives.
Ten deaths had been reported at the spot since 2014. Built at a cost of Rs 4.1 crore, it helps pedestrians cross over from Fraser Town to Cox Town without fear of being run over.
The overbridge is 20 metres long and 3 metres wide. Work began in April and was completed by the end of May. The bridge was thrown open to the public in the first week of June. Lifts have not been installed yet.
The bridge is an initiative of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and the South Western Railways (SWR).
“Seven deaths were reported in 2014 and three this year,” said Sajjan Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railways.
The project was executed by the Constructions Department of the South Western Railways. A similar overbridge came up at Kadugudi last year.
Despite these safety measures, if pedestrians still cross the tracks, the Railway Protection Force will book them for trespass, Agarwal said.
The Kadugudi project cost Rs 1.84 crore and was handed over to the Palike, and has been in use since 2014. That bridge is 40 metres in length, and 3 metres wide.
The proposal for a foot overbridge at Fraser Town came up in 2014. The land belongs to the railways, and so South Western Railways had sought Rs 4.1 crore from the BBMP to build the bridge.
“So far, they have deposited only Rs 2.9 crore,” said Harish Babu, Deputy Chief Engineer, Constructions, South Western Railways.
Engineers decided not build an underbridge as they found the soil too loose. Railway contractors were given the project.
“The railways takes responsibility for the engineering but the general maintenance and lighting at the bridge is the BBMP’s responsibility,” Babu explained.
Kempe Gowda, Executive Engineer, East Division, BBMP, said, “Since the accidents were taking place under the BBMP’s jurisdiction, we chose some locations for the foot overbridge before deciding on one.”
The plan includes lifts on both sides. “Once we deposit the money into the railways account, even that will be done,” he said.
Citizens are happy, but are concerned about the maintenance. N Andrade, a resident of Davis Road, said, “People take cycles on to this bridge. That should be checked, and no hawkers should be allowed.”
Mani, who commutes from here to Horamavu, said, “Many trains pass this area, and crossing the tracks was tough. The bridge is good for pedestrians.”
A R Zakir, former councillor of Pulikeshinagar, under whose limits this station falls, said, “I had taken some citizens to meet K H Muniyappa and we had handed him a memorandum when he was minister of state for railways. This is a result of those efforts.”
