Kurnool to Have Nine RoBs at Railway Crossings

Kurnool: Under the Bharatmala Project of Ministry of Road Transport and Gati Shakti initiative of Indian Railways, Kurnool district is set to get nine roads over bridges (RoBs) at various railway level crossings. This will solve the extreme congestion in urban areas and remove the potential hazards at railway level crossings in rural pockets.

The RoBs will be constructed with 100 per cent financial support from the centre. Due compensation will be paid to affected persons before they are relocated and rehabilitated. Surveys are on for the purpose.

Railways propose to eliminate level crossings when they undertake track doubling or when traffic surpasses a certain threshold. According to rules, both central and state governments should equally contribute to the RoB projects. An ROB is constructed when the number of train vehicle units (TVUs) crosses one lakh, or if a level crossing gate needs to be closed for train passage 12 or more times within a 24-hour period.

Usually, the local MLA or MP obtains a commitment from the state government to fund 50 per cent of the cost and allocate the necessary land. However, where the Railways do not deem it necessary to eliminate level crossings, state government should bear 100 percent of the cost.

The nine RoBs are being constructed in Kurnool district under the Bharatmala Project on the Guntakal-Wadi and Guntakal-Dhone sections. The identified level crossings are 118, 141, 192, 195, 199, 204, 205, 207, and 209, situated across Adoni, Pathikonda, Kowthalam, Kosigi, and Kurnool mandals.

District collector G. Srijana said 100 per cent of the funding for these RoBs will be borne by the centre. The district administration will facilitate smooth construction of these bridges. Various departments have already been asked to conduct a joint survey for working out modalities for construction of the nine RoBs.