Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) dissident Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) ‘Mafoi’ K. Pandiarajan, representing Virudhunagar segment, has moved the Madras High Court Bench here seeking a direction to the State government to expedite the construction of a Railway Overbridge (ROB) on Ramamoorthy Road in Virudhunagar.
A Division Bench of Justices V. Ramasubramanian and V.M. Velumani on Wednesday directed the High Court Registry to tag the public interest litigation petition filed by the MLA along with a writ petition already filed by former Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran and others who claimed that construction of Railway Underbridge (RUB) instead of an ROB would spare their lands from acquisition proceedings.
Opposing the claim made by Mr.Ramachandran, the MLA said only an ROB would help in solving traffic congestion faced by commuters on a daily basis at the railway junction in the heart of Virudhunagar town. He claimed that around 67 trains pass through the railway level crossing every day and it required closure of the railway gates and blocking of road traffic frequently.
He also said Ramamoorthy Road was one of the busiest roads in the town and it provided access to the government district headquarters hospital, maternity hospital, various schools, polytechnics, head post office and other government as well as private commercial establishments.
The residents of the town had been demanding a solution to the traffic congestion on such a crucial road for long.
The State government passed an order on October 3, 2008, sanctioning Rs.20.53 crore for constructing an ROB across the railway crossing.
“However, the work could not be commenced in view of political obstruction of a few persons whose lands would have to be acquired for the construction and thus the project was yet to see light at the end of the tunnel for more than six years,” the MLA added.
