Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar, April 22
The delay in completion of a railway overbridge at Dabra Chowk has been causing inconvenience to residents of the town. The incomplete work leads to long traffic jams on both sides of the overbridge especially during peak hours.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has completed its share of the construction work, while the Railway authorities are required to fix overhead structure connecting the two ends on the road.
The construction work on additional two lanes of the overbridge was started in October 2016 and it was set to be completed in 18 months in March this year. The project having length of 613 meters has to be completed an estimated cost of Rs 15.85 crore.
A PWD official said that the delay was caused due to change in norms of the Railways as instead of a prepared concrete structure, the Railway would now fix steel structure on its earmarked portion. “The Railways has now ordered specially designed steel structure to be fixed to connect both ends of the road. The work is likely to be completed by June,” he said.
Local residents, however, said that their trauma was just getting longer. “We hoped to get relief after March. But, officials now say that the work would be completed by June. We hope to see completion of the project by the deadline,” said Mukesh Saini, social activist.
Nearly one lakh motorists cross the bridge daily which divides the town in two parts. Schoolchildren are the worst affected as most of the schools are located on one side of the bride.
“The Railways has also resumed work on the project. It will be completed by June, for sure,” said Rajkumar, Subdivisional Engineer, PWD.