Bhubaneswar: To enhance road safety and smoothen traffic, the Odisha government has intensified efforts to replace level crossings with as many as 166 railway over bridges (ROBs) across the state.
Of these, 96 ROBs would be constructed by the Railways entirely at its own cost under the Centre’s Railway Policy-2024, officials said. of 96 ROBs, more than 80 ROBs will be built on the portion of the Chennai–Howrah mainline that is under the East Coast Railwaay (ECoR), they said.
To accelerate the process, a high-level meeting was held on Tuesday between senior officials of ECoR and the Works department. The meeting assessed the progress of 1
66 ROBs proposed for construction across the state. The meeting was chaired by principal secretary Works, Sanjay Kumar Singh.
It was found that the progress of ROB construction had been slow over the past few years. However, after intervention of the state government, an agreement is being finalised through an MoU, under which the ECoR will bear the full cost of constructing 96 ROBs. Odisha has emerged as a leading state nationally in terms of ROB projects taken up under the revised policy framework.
The meeting underscored the importance of ROBs in easing traffic congestion, reducing travel time and significantly enhancing safety by eliminating accident-prone level crossings. Detailed deliberations were held on expediting land acquisition, ensuring construction quality and adhering to strict timelines for project completion.
To accelerate execution, nodal officers have been appointed for land acquisition of approach roads for 112 ROBs, with district administrations directed to coordinate closely with the Works department and the Railways.