Even nearly three years after Southern Railway included construction of an underpass at the manned level-crossing on Padil-Bajal Road near Mangalore Junction (Kankanady) Railway Station in its list of approved projects, the travails of the people using the road hardly appear to be nearing an end.
The Railways communicated to Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, in November 2009 that the proposal had been included in the list of approved projects, thereby raising high hopes that road-users were in for relief. The proposal came after a several protests and appeals for construction of an underpass to provide unhindered movement of vehicles at the level-crossing (No. 146). Since the gate is closed frequently, people, particularly students and office-goers, are put to hardship.
People of Faisalnagar, Veeranagar, Vijayanagar Bajal and Jelligudde have tough time at the level-crossing. In a letter to Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa, the MP pointed out that more than 40,000 people lived in the vicinity of the level-crossing and the State Government had agreed to share the expenditure on the underpass to be built.
On Thursday between 6 a.m. and 2.15 p.m., the gate was closed 23 times, according records maintained at the gate. Ramannacharya of Vijayanagar and Joint Secretary of Youth Centre at Padil, who has been stating agitations for an underpass, said motorists’ patience was tested at the gate. At times, even ambulances were held up for a long time. Over a month ago, angry motorists broke the windows of the guard’s room at the level-crossing and even attempted to attack Ganesh, guard.
Public relations officer of Palakkad Division of Southern Railway S. James told The Hindu on Wednesday that the Railways was ready with the estimates and plan and work would be tendered as and when the State Government deposited half of the cost of the project estimated at Rs. 5 crore. He said the city corporation should deposit at least part of the State’s share so that the proposal would get to the stage of implementation.
The former Mayor M. Shankar Bhat had gone on record that the corporation had earmarked Rs. 1 crore for the project. Corporation’s Executive Engineer G. Rajashekar said that the corporation had requested the State Government to bear half the cost of the project. His information was that the proposal had gone to the Finance Department and expected that the fund would be made available to the Railways within a month.
