Pakhowal rail overbridge project: State panel junks new plan, project to resume with original design

The Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) had objected to the change in design and had referred the matter to the state-level technical committee to seek approval for the revised design of the Pakhowal rail overbridge

The construction of the Pakhowal rail overbridge (ROB) and underpass will soon restart with its original design after a state-level technical committee rejected the proposed alterations to the original plan, which had also raised the cost of the project by ₹6.29 crore.

The under-construction rail over bridge and underpass on Pakhowal road in Ludhiana on Friday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

According to sources, the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) had objected to the change in design and had referred the matter to the state-level technical committee to seek approval for the revised design of the bridge. However, the proposal was reportedly rejected, and as a result, the total budget for the project will now be reduced by ₹1.17 crore.

MC superintending engineer Sanjay Kanwar confirmed that the project will resume with its original design.

The contention was over the 29-metre extension for the approach road on the Hero Bakery Chowk side of the Pakhowal road heading towards Bhai Wala Chowk.

The project to construct two road under bridges (RUBs) and a railway over bridge (ROB) at Pakhowal road railway crossing began in December 2020 with an initial budget of ₹124 crore, and the authorities had set August 31, 2021 as the deadline. However, the deadline has been repeatedly extended, causing inconvenience to the public. The budget for the project, which was taken up under the Smart City Mission, has also increased to ₹133 crore.

Detailed discussions were held with contractor Deepak Singal at the construction site and directions were issued to complete the project by August 15.

During the visit, the authorities also directed the contractor to depute more machinery and staff at the site to ensure timely completion.

Aggarwal said that the contractor has been directed to speed up the work and submit progress reports to the department on a regular basis.