ROURKELA: Even after 12 years of its approval, construction of the road over bridge (ROB) at Rajgangpur level crossing is yet to see light of the day. Now, it’s going to miss another deadline.
The ROB, being built over the busy Howrah-Mumbai main line of the South Eastern Railway (SER), is likely to miss its revised completion deadline of June 2026. Reliable sources said that while the central portion of the ROB falling under SER’s jurisdiction is almost complete, the remaining sections of the bridge along with approach roads on both sides are being executed by the Works department.
However, the project has encountered a major hurdle due to poor soil conditions, which requires a change in the foundation design. Sources said four pillars fall within the affected soil zone, and work is currently on hold pending revised pillar drawings and necessary approvals. Meanwhile, pillar erection in other sections, along with associated works, is underway, with a target to begin slab casting within the next couple of months.
Sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Works department for Rajgangpur Roshan Tigga said the project has reached the 50 per cent completion mark and once the revised drawings are received, the work would be expedited.
Sources familiar with the project attributed the delay to multiple factors. The ROB project, based on 50:50 cost-sharing model, received in-principle approval from the state government in 2014. However, the first tender was floated only in 2018, and no physical progress was made over the next four years due to land acquisition hurdles.
Work eventually commenced in late 2023 following a fresh tender, with the project cost estimated at around Rs 44.75 crore. To expedite land acquisition, the then BJD government opted for direct land purchase from August 16, 2023. A separate budget of around Rs 43 crore was allocated for the acquisition of 1.905 acres of entirely non-tribal land from 54 landowners.
A delegation of the BJD, led by state vice-president and former minister Mangla Kisan submitted a memorandum to the Sundargarh collector on Thursday, demanding the expeditious completion of the ROB and other pending projects.
Sundargarh district BJD vice-president Jitendra Das said that the Howrah-Mumbai main line effectively divides Rajgangpur town. While seven gram panchayats of Rajgangpur block lie to the north of the railway line, the remaining 13 GPs, along with the block headquarters and most government offices, are situated on the southern side. He added that frequent and prolonged closure of the level crossing has been causing severe inconvenience to both urban and rural residents, leading to significant hardship.