ROB ready, but non-completion of RUB inconveniences commuters

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 1

After an inordinate delay of over two years in its construction, while the 925-m-long and 28-m-wide railway overbridge (ROB) on the Faridkot-Talwandi Bhai-Amritsar road is complete but because of the non-completion of an adjoining railway underbridge (RUB) due to an alleged encroachment on a small portion of the land, there is no respite to Faridkot residents.

The Faridkot-Talwandi-Amritsar road is closed for traffic for over three years due to the slow-paced construction of these ROB and RUB, causing traffic chaos in the town and putting over 4,000 students of a school, dental college and nursing college to inconvenience. These students are making detour of extra 3 km to reach their institutions due to closing of the road.

The ROB is complete and waiting for its formal opening. As the authorities want that there should be simultaneous opening of ROB and RUB, the completion of ROB was not bringing any respite to residents as the construction of the RUB is hanging in balance due to the alleged encroachment on a portion of the bridge.

AS per the occupant of this land, he is a tenant of the Municipal Council, Faridkot. Claiming himself to the legal occupant of the land on which he has constructed a shop, the person is not vacating the land and the PWD is facing problems in removing him to complete the construction of RUB.

Meanwhile, authorities in the PWD said the Municipal Council, Faridkot, had no right to give its (PWD’s) land on lease or rent, hence, this possession is illegal. The ‘legal’ fight over this small portion of the land, the RUB’s completion is hanging in balance, thus delaying the opening of the ROB and putting residents in the town to hardships.

Construction of these bridges created many controversies and there was a tug-of-war between some political groups over the project. Started at an estimated cost of Rs 36 crore, the construction cost of these bridges has touched about Rs 60 crore.

For the alleged dispute over a portion of the land, specified for this bridge, the construction work of the ROB was suspended for over one year as the PWD was not able to get the land vacated due to alleged political interference.