Mancherial: Work on Kyathanpalli RoB dragging on for a decade

Balance works including approach roads on either side of the bridge are being executed at a snail's pace.

Mancherial: Work on a road over bridge across a railway crossing on the outskirts of Kyatanpalli village in Mandamarri mandal has been dragging on for nearly a decade.

In order to ease traffic and to reduce waiting time for motorists at the railway crossing, a road over bridge was sanctioned in 2015 at an estimated cost of Rs.31 crore. A sum of Rs.4 crore was earmarked for the bridge across the railway line, while Rs.27 crore was allocated for acquiring lands and laying approach roads.

---

The construction of the bridge over the railway line was completed in 2016. But, balance works including approach roads on either side of the bridge are being executed at a snail’s pace. Farmers who were displaced by the structure initially did not come forward to give away their land. A major portion of them, however, allowed the government to acquire the land after former Chennur MLA Balka Suman held consultations with them. The work gained a momentum for some period.

Still, the work on the approach roads relating to the bridge is progressing at sluggish pace for the last few months. The delay in completion of the work is not only causing inconvenience to motorists and locals, but is also allegedly contributing to accidents.

Two youngsters who attempted to cross the railway line were killed on the spot when a speeding train hit them on November 15. Sameer, a snake bite victim died while being shifted to a hospital in Mancherial town as the gate remained closed for quite a long time. Locals said that many such incidents go unreported.

“People of Kyathanpalli town and surrounding villages are bearing the brunt of the delay of the work on the bridge. They are forced to wait for at least 30 minutes to cross the railway line in order to reach the district headquarters for various needs including medical emergencies every day,” Sadanandam D, a local said, urging officials to take steps to expedite the work.

The Roads and Building department executive engineer V Narasimha Chary told ‘Telangana Today‘ that due to hurdles in land acquisition of land on the side of Kyathanpalli to the bridge, the work was getting delayed. Farmers say they would give land only the compensation is credited to their bank accounts. Funds will be deposited in their accounts soon. Efforts are being made to throw the bridge open to the public by two or three months, he said.