Second road overbridge at Indrali will be opened for traffic by January 15: Kota Srinivas Poojary

Blaming Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) for the enormous delay in completing the road overbridge (RoB) at Indrali in Udupi, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary on Wednesday, said the officials have promised to open the new bridge for traffic before January 15.

Blaming Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) for the enormous delay in completing the road overbridge (RoB) at Indrali in Udupi, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary on Wednesday, said the officials have promised to open the new bridge for traffic before January 15.

He was speaking to reporters after visiting the RoB worksite along with Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna and others. The bowstring steel girder RoB is being built across Mangaluru-Mumbai Railway line of KRCL between Udupi and Manipal on Malpe-Tirthahalli National Highway 169A at Indrali. The earlier deadline given by the MP was September 2024 while that by the Udupi Deputy Commissioner was November 2024.

Admitting there has been a long delay in completion of the project that started in 2018 and being executed by the National Highways Division of the state Public Works Department, Mr. Poojary said there were many reasons for the delay. While the department had earlier worked for a 38m bridge, KRCL wanted it to be 58m to cover the future double line. The quantum of steel to be used too got increased because of the change in design, he said.

NH 169A at Indrali has been one of the busiest road stretches in Udupi as it connects the temple town with the education hub Manipal that also houses the district office complex. Many accidents have taken place at the stretch because of the haphazard work execution following which residents and civil society organisations have launched stiff protest, Mr. Poojary noted. A situation has come wherein the district administration has asked to book criminal cases against officials concerned if any more accidents happen in the stretch, he added.

Mr. Poojary said the contractor and officials have given an undertaking to the Manipal Police that they would complete the work before January 15, 2025. Required material have also arrived and the work was in full swing. As the MP, he has convened four meetings and visited the worksite at least five times, he added.