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Delay in railway bridge work resented

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Action, please!: BJP activists squatting on the railway track in protest against delay in completion of the bridge at Lanjipalli flyover in Berhampur on Tuesday.

BERHAMPUR: BJP activists of the city blocked the railway track for over two hours under the much-delayed Lanjipalli overbridge project on Tuesday.

The work of this overbridge had begun in October 2002. But it is yet to be completed causing great problem for a large section of populace of the city. The BJP activists who were led by former Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly Ram Chandra Panda alleged that the delay had been caused only by to the Railway Department. They sat on dharna on the railway track at the spot of the over bridge from 10 am to noon. “We have planned to lock up the offices of the railways in the city if the over bridge is not completed and opened up for public by Aug 31,” said Ram Patro, city general secretary of the BJP.

In April 2007, the railway authorities had promised to finish the project by October 2007 at a high-level meeting which was also attended by Berhampur MP and Union Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu. As per the norms the railways had to construct the stretch of the overbridge on top of the railway tracks. The State Government’s share in the project was to construct the approach roads to connect the bridge over railway tracks constructed by the Railways.

The State Public Works Department has already completed the approach roads. But bridge on the tracks is yet to be completed.

This agitation by the BJP was supported by local organisations of the area like Lanjipalli Shanti Surakhya Seva Samity and Kamapalli traders association. The inhabitants of Lanjipalli, Ankuli and Kamapalli are suffering for this delay. With their regular road via a level crossing closed down for the construction of this overbridge, they have to take diversion for which they have to travel an additional 5 km via engineering school square.

Otherwise they have to take extreme narrow accident-prone street via a new level crossing which was opened near Ramnagar after closure of Lanjipalli level crossing for the construction of the overbridge.

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