Footbridge remains incomplete due to paucity of funds

Gurugram A pedestrian bridge at the Gurugram railway station, scheduled to be inaugurated by December 2018, is yet to be completed. Almost a year on, work on the

Gurugram A pedestrian bridge at the Gurugram railway station, scheduled to be inaugurated by December 2018, is yet to be completed. Almost a year on, work on the footbridge remains incomplete and has been put on hold due to shortage of funds.

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The footbridge was planned to benefit residents of colonies, such as Swaroop Garden, Rajendra Park and Vishnu Garden, which fall on either side of the railway tracks. Residents of these colonies do not have an alternative for crossing the tracks and are compelled to take the Daulatabad flyover, which increases both the distance and time, significantly. The flyover also sees a lot of traffic movement.

ND Vashisht, the chief engineer of MCG, said that the railway authorities had sought additional funds for the bridge. “Railway officials had earlier estimated the cost of the project at ₹4.15 crore. Now, they have doubled the cost and wrote to the corporation over a month ago, seeking enhancement of the budget. We have moved the case to Chandigarh,” he said.

He said that the proposal is awaiting clearance from the state government for a month. “The Railways should have had taken approval in advance. They approached us again after funds allocated for the project were finished. The application for additional funds needs to be approved by higher authorities. The case has been pending clearance for over a month,” he said.

At present, the skeletal structure of the bridge is ready and marble has been placed at one small portion of it. The roof, fencing and flooring are yet to be completed.

Chet Ram, who lives close to the upcoming bridge, said that the bridge would provide much-needed relief to residents. “Locals have been waiting for this footbridge for more than a year now. We keep hearing about its inauguration, but the work is incomplete,” he said.

JP Joshi, who lives in Swaroop Garden, next to the railway station, said that the bridge has been under construction for two years now. “Every now and then, some construction material is brought, but the bridge stays as it is,” said Joshi.

He also said that footbridge does not have provision for escalators and wouldn’t be of much use for senior citizens who would be forced to take up alternative transport options. “There is a post office near Daulatabad flyover. We go there to collect our pension regularly. It’s close to our house, but we have to take a long detour to reach the place. The footbridge that is coming up has no escalators. Senior citizens, like me, won’t be able to climb it,” said Joshi.