Hundreds of Railway Gollahalli residents and passers-by are forced to inhale dust and cope with the resultant health hazards after the South Western Railway (SWR) failed to asphalt approaches to a road-under-bridge (RUB).
The RUB was built about a year ago on the Bangalore-Tumkur line at the junction of the Nelamangala-Doddaballapur State Highway (SH 74) and the Dasarahalli-Hessarghatta-Gollahalli main road in Nelamangala taluk of Bangalore Rural district. It replaced a manned level crossing, which was called Gollahalli Railway Gate.
Dhanaraj, who owns a petty shop near the old railway gate, told The Hindu that residents and students have been put to great hardship ever since work began three years ago. Hundreds of vehicles use the road every day smearing buildings with dust. People are forced to inhale the same, he said.
Narasimha Murthy, who was waiting at Gollahalli for a bus to Doddaballapur, said the SH 74 is a busy road as it is the shortest path between Nelamangala and Doddaballapur (34 km) as compared to the one via Dabaspet (61 km) and the other via Yelahanka (56 km). The approach roads on either side of the railway line were recently metalled with stone aggregates, he added.
Plan changedSWR’s Bangalore Divisional Railway Manager, Anil Kumar Agarwal, said work was sanctioned for a single-lane bridge and funds were released accordingly. However, the plan was changed to accommodate a two-way bridge on the demand of locals. However, the money available remained the same. As a result, there was no money to construct approach roads, Mr. Agarwal explained.
He said it would take at least six months to arrange additional funds.