KOCHI: The Pullepady level-crossing will be closed from Saturday, with work on the rail portion of the Pullepady road overbridge set to begin on the day.

A press release issued by the Railways said work on the 25-metre rail portion would be completed this financial year. A senior Railway official said no alternative arrangements had been made for those using the level-crossing.

The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) had completed work on the approach portions to the bridge early this year.

In May, Railways deputy chief engineer (Construction) Radhakrishnan Nair had said that "work has been awarded." He did not spell out whether any deadline had been fixed for the work to be completed and to whom the work was awarded. It is unclear why the Construction wing of the Railways took three months to initiate work on the project. Though the contractor who carried out the work for the RBDCK had quoted the lowest rate (Rs.1.45 crores) for work on the rail portion over a year ago, the Railways had rejected his tender saying he was not qualified for the work.

RBDCK sources said delay in commissioning the bridge had resulted in untold misery for commuters in Kochi. "We have spent Rs.4.5 crores on the approach spans and another Rs.1.5 crores for land acquisition. The Railways' delay has resulted in our having to pay heavy interest on the loan that we had availed," they said.

The RBDCK has so far built 13 bridges in the State. There was more than three years' delay in commissioning all of them because of the time taken by the Railways to carry out work on the rail portion of the overbridges, they said. The RBDCK completed the overbridge near S.N. Junction, Thripunithura, in two-and-a-half years. The Railways, which simultaneously began work on a small bridge near the Thripunithura traffic police station, are yet to commission it, over four years after work began.

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