ROURKELA: Bringing cheer to the people of Panposh Basti in the city who had long been demanding a subway near the narrow British-era railway tunnel, the Indian Railways has reportedly floated the tender for the purpose. The tunnel under the busy Howrah-Mumbai main line adjacent to the Panposh station serves as the only direct and shortest connectivity between the thickly-populated Basti and the Rourkela main road.
South Eastern Railway (SER) sources said the Chakradhapur Division floated the tender on June 26 for the construction of a normal height subway (NHS) or road under the bridge (RUB) - 125 near Panposh station at the cost of Rs 8.31 crore. The last date for the tender is July 21, they said adding the subway would be set up using the box pushing technique and it may take up to six months to be completed.
Sundargarh MP and chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Jual Oram, on March 29, 2022, had written to the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after the Panposh Welfare Committee approached him with the demand. Vaishnaw had assured Oram to look into the matter.
Sources said though residents of Panposh have been fighting for an alternative to the British-era narrow railway tunnel for over five decades, it was only in 2019 that the Sundargarh district administration and SER took up the issue.
Rourkela MLA and Sundargarh District Planning Committee Chairman Sarada Prasad Nayak said due to the narrow tunnel the residents of Panposh continue to face immense difficulties as fire service vehicles, large ambulances, hearses, and school and town buses can not operate through it.
Welcoming the latest development he said, “the subway would directly benefit above 40,000 population of Panposh Basti and additionally be the shortest route for the state government-run Panposh Sports Hostel and residents of Quarry Siding, Kalinga Bihar, Bandhposh, Pradhanpali and part of Chhend Colony to the Rourkela main road.”
