Kerala - Kollam   

Construction of approach road sought

Staff Reporter

For overbridge at SP Office junction

KOLLAM: A corporation council meeting on Thursday called upon the State Government to take steps for constructing an approach road to an overbridge proposed at the railway level crossing at SP (Superintendent of Police) Office junction.

In a resolution, the council said the Railways would construct the overbridge only after the approach road was ready. The overbridge, a long-cherished dream of the city, could ease traffic congestion in the central business areas of the city.

It was in 1980 that the need for such an overbridge was projected in a master plan for the city. The State Government's approval for the project came in 1999 and it was included in the work schedule. Though the Government forwarded the same to the Railways, the sanction for an overbridge was initially denied by the Railways.

But with follow-up measures taken by the Kollam MP, P. Rajendran, the sanction came in July 2000. The project was included in the Railway Budget of 2001 and received the administrative sanction of the Railways in 2002.

As per the terms of agreement, the approach road had to be constructed by the State Government and the overbridge by the Railways.

On December 28, 2003, the then Union Minister for Railways, Nitish Kumar, laid the foundation stone for the project at the junction.

Though the Railways had completed the tender formalities, the work was yet to start. The reason for this was that the State Government had not taken any step for constructing the approach road.

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