The Hindu

• Southern Railway has asked NHAI to modify the plan approved three years ago
• NHAI asked to make a provision for five tracks instead of two as approved earlier
• NHAI has said that it may consider the proposal if Southern Railway bears the additional cost

Mangalore, Nov 27: The proposal to construct an overpass over the Baikampady railway line, which crosses National Highway 17, by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is hanging fire.

This is because the Southern Railway has now asked the NHAI to modify the plan approved by it (Southern Railway) three years ago. In addition, officials of IRCON International Ltd., a railway undertaking, which is four-laning the national highway between Surathkal and B.C. Road, are not keen to take up the construction work, according to sources in the NHAI. With this, even though work on four-laning of the highway, except flyovers, between Surathkal and Panambur is expected to be completed by December-end, the construction of the overpass will take some more years.

GAD

Sources told The Hindu that the Southern Railway approved the general arrangement drawing (GAD) of the overpass on July 26, 2005. According to it, the overpass was to be constructed with a provision for two tracks. Southern Railway has now asked the NHAI to make a provision for five tracks.

The NHAI has said that it may consider the proposal if Southern Railway bears the additional cost.

Approval charges

Sources said that the NHAI had deposited 48.75 per cent of the estimated cost of Rs. 1.31 crore as approval charges. The approval charge of Rs. 64.12 lakh, deposited in January 2006, includes supervision charges, departmental charges, and lifetime maintenance charges.

Chief Bridge Engineer, Southern Railway, in a letter on April 15, 2008 to the NHAI had said, “… NHAI is requested to accommodate five tracks in lieu of two tracks already approved in the GAD… (as) the traffic on the railway system in the section is expected to increase substantially in the future …”

However, the NHAI has said that it will not be possible for it to do so now.

In a September 16, 2008 letter to Southern Railway the NHAI said that if it was to accommodate three more railway tracks “…a commitment from New Mangalore Port Trust for handing over of the land to NHAI will have to be taken…”

Substantial increase

The letter said that there would be a substantial increase in the cost towards demolition of the existing bridge, change in its length and appointment of a consultant to prepare a new GAD.

“… It will not be possible at this stage to provide additional spans to accommodate three more lines. If Southern Railway is willing to bear the (additional) cost … the NHAI may consider the proposal,” the letter said.

Southern Railway is yet to respond to it, sources said.

Not interested

Sources said that in a meeting with NHAI in June 2008 some officials of IRCON had stated that they were not interested in constructing the bridge. It is not binding on the company’s part to construct it as it is not part of the contract agreement. But NHAI and IRCON have another agreement regarding the construction of 85 overpasses in the country, including the one at Baikampady.

Though NHAI has taken the Southern Railway’s approval for GAD, it has yet to obtain the approval for the detailed plan, structural design and drawing, which is based on the GAD.

If IRCON still refuses to take up the work, NHAI will have to call for fresh bids to fix a new agency.