Decrying the allegation that no necessary orders had been obtained from the government and the Railways for the construction of the Railway Over Bridge at Pachalam, the Southern Railways on Wednesday in a statement said that all necessary formalities had been complied with before starting the works of ROB.
In a statement filed before the Kerala High Court, the Southern Railways said that the district collector had ordered closing of the Pachalam railway gate for the construction. The Railways had been assured that the ROB would be completed on a war footing.
The statement was filed as directed by the Bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice P.R. Ramachandra Menon on a public interest petition. The General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) of the ROB had been finalised by the government. Since the GAD was found to be feasible, it had been approved by the Railways. In accordance with the GAD, the Railways would share 50 per cent of the cost.
The entire construction was being undertaken in accordance with the established procedure. The land acquisition, alignment and widening of road fell within the domain of the government and Kochi Corporation. There had been no negligence or indifferent on the part of the Railways. In fact, the Railways had absolutely no role in the matter of land acquisition and road widening, the statement said.