TIRUCHY: Two years on, construction of an over bridge to replace the British-era structure on Salai Road is progressing at a snail’s pace due to delay in completing the portion above the tracks near Fort railway station. The Rs 44-crore-project, which was launched in December 2023, is jointly built by the Tiruchy city corporation (Rs 34 cr) and Southern Railway Construction Organisation (Rs 10 cr). While the corporation has completed nearly 80% of the work, including approach roads on both sides, not much progress has been made in the main portion that comes above the tracks.
As the project drags on, residents say they have to take a long detour via the Karur Bypass Road or Tennur to reach their destinations, which results in waste of time and increases fuel expenses. “Elected representatives, including MP Durai Vaiko, gave an assurance that the over bridge would be completed at the earliest, but it looks like the work would go on for some more time. So far, only two pillars have been completed from the railways side,” S Baskaran, a resident of Ramalinga Nagar.
P Ayyarappan, Coordinator of the Road Users Welfare Committee alleged that Tiruchy railway division officers do not reveal details as to when the work would get over. “Railway authorities behave as if they have nothing to do with the project. ble. It is their duty to explain the reason for the delay,” he added. Official sources attributed the delay to poor planning by the contractor.
“The contractor took nearly six months to dismantle the existing structure. Piling work took more time than required, due to the presence of the rock surface. The company delayed procuring material citing funds crunch,” sources said. When contacted, MP Durai Vaiko told TNIE that he raised the issue of delay with railway officials in a coordination meeting.
“Senior railway authorities warned the contractor and instructed him to complete the project within the stipulated time. He has assured to complete work by the end of August. At any cost, they have to complete it by then. As instructed, the firm is sending a weekly report on the progress of the work. I hope this time the deadline will not be missed,” he added.