jis
Permanent Way Inspector
Staff member
Administator
Moderator
AU Supporting Member
Gathering Team Member
It all started when a rickety old road overbridge over a busy suburban line collapsed onto the railway at Majerhat in South Kolkata a while back. Fortunately there were few casualties. No one yet knows why the PWD was unaware of the sorry state of the bridge. It has been mentioned that there are many other such structures in such sorry shape all around Kolkata. Almost every year something or the other collapses in Kolkata. But I digress....
The first order of the day was to restore a road, so an emergency project was taken up to build an at grade crossing which was achieved in remarkably short order.
Then the battle began to build a replacement over bridge. The problem was that the original design submitted by the PWD (Public Works Department) intentionally or otherwise, forgot to take into account the planned route of a new elevated Metro line to be built in the same area. The PWD tried an end run around the whole issue by using a missive from the Chief Minister to hurry up construction and hoped that if they ignored the issue it would go away. Eastern Railway would have none of it, and they withdrew permission to proceed with construction over their property pending resolution. That brought matters to a head. What followed is found in this article:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/pwd-agrees-to-change-majerhat-rob-design-leave-space-for-metro-piers/articleshow/68055552.cms
The final resolution apparently was the State Secretary reading the riot act to the PWD and telling everyone to play nice since the state government and Kolkata both need both the new over bridge and the new Metro.
Fascinating case of three different arms of three different government agencies duking it out until a fourth empowered agent of a stake holder government intervenes.
The first order of the day was to restore a road, so an emergency project was taken up to build an at grade crossing which was achieved in remarkably short order.
Then the battle began to build a replacement over bridge. The problem was that the original design submitted by the PWD (Public Works Department) intentionally or otherwise, forgot to take into account the planned route of a new elevated Metro line to be built in the same area. The PWD tried an end run around the whole issue by using a missive from the Chief Minister to hurry up construction and hoped that if they ignored the issue it would go away. Eastern Railway would have none of it, and they withdrew permission to proceed with construction over their property pending resolution. That brought matters to a head. What followed is found in this article:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/pwd-agrees-to-change-majerhat-rob-design-leave-space-for-metro-piers/articleshow/68055552.cms
The final resolution apparently was the State Secretary reading the riot act to the PWD and telling everyone to play nice since the state government and Kolkata both need both the new over bridge and the new Metro.
Fascinating case of three different arms of three different government agencies duking it out until a fourth empowered agent of a stake holder government intervenes.