Week after it opened for public, Belagavi ROB closed for pothole repairs
Belagavi BJP MP Mangala Angagi and Belagavi South BJP MLA Abhay Patil had opened the bridge for public last Wednesday.
The 100m road overbridge (ROB) across 381st milestone at railway third gate in Tilakwadi, Belagavi, which was opened for the public last week, has been closed for repairs after potholes restricted movement of vehicles on the stretch.
The railways civil work engineering department has restricted movement of vehicles on the overbridge for an indefinite term.
The department stated that it regrets the inconvenience and will resume movement on the stretch after engineers certify it.
Belagavi BJP MP Mangala Angagi and Belagavi South BJP MLA Abhay Patil had opened the bridge for public last Wednesday. However, within days of vehicular movement, cracks and potholes developed on the bridge.
The railways’ engineering department had undertaken the project in 2019 with a proposed cost of ₹18 crore and a condition of completing the project in 14 months. However, they could only manage to complete it this month with a total expenditure of ₹35.46 crore.
The ROB issue has left the BJP-led state government embarrassed as people are irked with the party for the “sub-standard work”.
The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the “sub-standard work” was proof of open corruption by the BJP government that “certified the poor-quality work without inspection”.
AAP northern range convenor Rajeev Topannavar quoted the civil work contractor suicide case where ex-minister Eshwarappa was accused of demanding 40% commission, and said, “The ROB work was not to the prescribed standard as the officials of the railway engineering department might have also paid 40% commission.”
Congress city block president Asif (Raju) Saith said, “The railways engineering department took the project lightly which lead to potholes developing on the said road so soon”.
“The work is sub-standard. The construction agency might have paid 40% commission to BJP for which it certified the poor quality work,” a social media user said.
Santosh Patil, a 37-year-old contractor was found dead in a hotel in Udupi in April this year. In his suicide note, Patil accused Eshwarappa and his aides of demanding 40 per cent commission to clear bills for a pending project. In a WhatsApp message, Patil had told associates and some journalists that the minister was directly responsible for his death.
