CHENNAI : The work on the rail overbridge across Veppampattu railway station has been held up for more than a decade now and residents of Veppampattu and Perumalpattu in Tiruvallur have to take a 5 km detour owing to the delay.
Veppampattu is one of the busiest suburban stations in Tiruvallur, registering a footfall of more than 20,000 everyday. Veppampattu and Perumalpattu lie on either side of the station.
Works were started to construct two bridges, one near the Veppampattu railway station and another half-a-km before the station. However, the works came to a halt due to land acquisition issues and court cases. As a result, commuters have to travel till Thirunindravur to cross over and reach the other side.
“They closed the railway level crossing to construct the bridge and it has not been completed for 10 years now. It would have been useful for the public if at least one of the bridges were completed,” said Azharudeen, a Veppampattu resident.
However, activists allege that the work is yet to take off even as the cases were closed in 2021. “Veppampattu is continuously ignored both by the railways and the highway department. Earlier they used to cite pending court cases for the delay, but no progress was made even after the court cases were settled,” said Jayaraman, a resident and activist.
Following a tragic train accident in October, Tiruvallur collector inspected Veppampattu and directed the officials to expedite the pending works. Officials with the highway department said administrative sanction has been obtained from the government for the pending works.
“New tenders will be issued before the election model code comes into effect and work will be started within three months,” an official with the highway department told TNIE.