Delay in Shastripuram ROB Project Frustrates Locals
The construction of a road over bridge (ROB) at the Uddamgadda railway halt in Shastripuram, near National Highway-44 on the outskirts of Rangareddy, has been significantly delayed. The lack of coordination between officials from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the railways is being blamed for the slow progress.
This ROB was planned as a solution to the constant traffic problems in the area. It was designed to provide a quicker route connecting NH-44 to Old Kurnool Road and further to the Srisailam Highway. Despite being proposed in 2017 with a budget of ₹71 crore, the project was only started in 2021 after years of discussions. However, even after eight years since its proposal, the bridge remains incomplete.
GHMC officials blame the delay on the railways, while the railways appear indifferent to speeding up their part of the work. Although the railways only had to complete a small portion of the project, specifically the deck-slab work in the middle of the bridge, this task has been dragging on for five years, according to GHMC officials.
“So far, 90% of the 490-meter-long project, including land acquisition and utility work costing ₹71 crore, has been completed by the GHMC,” said Dattupant, Superintendent Engineer of GHMC’s project wing. “Ramps on both sides have been finished, while only 20% of the remaining work, to be done by the railways, is pending,” he added.
The prolonged delay has had severe consequences. “At least three lives have been lost in the past eight years due to this incomplete project,” lamented Syed Shoukat Ali, a senior community activist. He also pointed out that businesses in the area have suffered, and residents are forced to take a seven-kilometer detour to cross the railway halt due to the road closure.
Local taxpayers and commuters are frustrated. “For the past five years, the only road through the railway halt at Uddamgadda has been completely closed,” said N. Mahender, a resident of Mailardevpally. “This delay has disrupted the daily lives of residents, traders, and commuters. We are left to suffer while the civic body and railways shift blame in the name of development,” he added.
The incomplete ROB has become a glaring example of inefficiency and poor coordination between government agencies, leaving the affected community to bear the brunt of the delays.
