Bhubaneswar: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had visited Balasore on 21st June, 2023. There, he met the villagers who had a long pending demand for construction of a subway near Nidhipanda Bridge (Br. No. 259). The Railway Minister discussed the issue with local villagers and assured them to resolve the matter.
The ‘Designing team’ of Railway has immediately prepared the design for Subway which was approved by the competent authority. A fund of Rs. 14.7 crores has been sanctioned by the Railway Board for construction of Subway near Nidhipanda Bridge of Balasore.
Nidhipanda bridge is an important bridge in Haldipada-Balasore section of Kharagpur – Bhadrak section. One of the spans of this bridge is being used by local people for commuting of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The area gets water logged during monsoon and the crossing under the bridge becomes unapproachable cutting connectivity to villages. In light of these issues, after Hon’ble Minister for Railways instructions a survey was immediately conducted for provision of alternate, safe arrangement for vehicular traffic as well as pedestrians.
A scheme was prepared whereby a subway of size 5m (W) X 5m (H) has been proposed at the approach of the bridge at Kharagpur end. This subway will be used for passing of all kinds of vehicles including heavy vehicles. The construction work will commence soon and will fulfill the demand of local people.
Additionally, keeping in mind that the area is prone to waterlogging during monsoon, a second subway is proposed having dimensions of 4m(W)X 2.7m(H) which is about 1.6m above the bed level of the bridge and will act as an all- weather road even in times of heavy water discharges.
With the intervention and close monitoring of Hon’ble Minister for Railways, the project and fund of Rs 14.7 crores was sanctioned immediately and work will also be executed on priority.
