Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (MS)
Udupi, Apr 15: The construction of the railway overbridge at Indrali, located at the center of the Udupi-Manipal highway, has been pending for seven years. Despite being only 15 feet in length, the construction has taken an unusually long time.
The bridge girders, expected to arrive by the end of December 2023, finally reached Udupi from Hubballi in the evening of January 2024. It was anticipated that work would commence thereafter. However, surprisingly, even after two-and-a-half months since the arrival of the girders, construction has yet to begin.
The Konkan Railway department has already provided the necessary NOC to the Udupi district administration for the construction of the overbridge at Indrali. The Deputy Commissioner (DC) clarified that NHAI would initiate the work by the end of February, with completion expected by the end of March. In early March, NHAI officials also assured that work would commence the following week, but this promise remains unfulfilled.
The two-way road from Udupi to Manipal sees all vehicles turning right in front of MGM College, leading to heavy traffic congestion and frequent minor accidents. With the onset of summer holidays, students from Indrali school are relatively safe, but private buses adding to the chaos by picking up and dropping off passengers going to and from the railway station at the junction have exacerbated the situation for motorists.
Nityananda Volakadu, convener of the Udupi District Nagarika Seva Samiti, expressed frustration at the prolonged delay, noting that promises of completion within the next 20 days have repeatedly fallen through. However, with the upcoming elections, protests are being withheld to avoid sending the wrong message.
Dr K Vidyakumari, deputy commissioner (DC) of Udupi, acknowledged the continued arrival of steel girders from Hubballi for the construction and cited a lack of coordination between Railway department and NHAI officials. Despite assurances from NHAI, the current ECC should not impede construction progress, and the DC emphasized her intolerance for any further delays in the matter.