Carmelaram cries for a rail overbridge !

By Kumaran P | NT

Bengaluru: The Carmelaram Railway Station crossing is reputed to be the busiest tech corridor in the city. Part of Mahadevapura and governed by MLA Aravind Limbavalli, the stretch is a nightmare for the thousands of people travelling to tech firms in Sarjapur Road and towards Whitefield because the rail crossing tends to be a chaotic affair, says Amit, a techie from Carmelaram. “This is a never-ending problem,” he says. For over three years, they have been waiting for a Rail Over Bridge, which hasn’t seen any progress since it was sanctioned. “For the last three and a half years, we have been waiting for the halfkilometre for the BBMP to keep its promise,” he explains.

Spending a good 20 minutes on the stretch is inevitable for motorists, due to the railway crossing and a narrow road on either side of the railway crossing. Residents have also requested the state government to take measures and decongest the area but their efforts have been in vain.

A twitter petition was started three years ago by a petition named Deepankar Pattnaik. He says they have sent around 260 reminders to officials from the Indian Railways, BBMP, to the MLA and the MP but there has been no respite. “We really do not know where the project stands currently. The road was widened and the area marked out but no work has actually been done,” he explains. “Our petitions and reminders have received no response. It’s a small stretch – 0.5 kilometres.”

Member of Parliament P.C. Mohan (Bengaluru Central) did show initiative in bringing in the Railways to cooperate with the BBMP and build the Rail Over Bridge. Two years ago, he assured them a sum of money to widen the road. The Railways agreed and the funds were transferred to the BBMP.

During a cabinet meeting in 2019, the Karnataka Urban Development Department sanctioned a sum of Rs 20 crores for the construction of the ROB at the Carmelaram Railway Station. Post this, the railways extended the gate and the road was widened. PC Mohan provided Rs 16 lakh from his MPLAD fund for the widening of the road and the previous coalition government approved the ROB. All these advancements have led nowhere.

According to MP Mohan, “There was supposed to be a meeting last week but due to the Election Code of Conduct, that couldn’t happen. We are going to have a meeting tomorrow (Friday) and decide on the work. The BBMP is supposed to do the work and we will review the status. I will inform residents after that.”