RailEnquiry

PUNE: Daily commuters affected by the absence of railway overbridges (ROBs) at Ghorpadi and Mundhwa have some hope after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told the defence secretary to look into the demand.The residents, under the banner of the Ghorpadi-Mundhwa Rail Overbridge Committee, had sent a letter to the PMO in March this year requesting its intervention in the matter.The residents' demand for ROBs at two railway level-crossing gates in Ghorpadi is at least seven years old. The busy road leads from Pune Cantonment to upscale areas like Kalyaninagar, Vimannagar, Mundhwa and Pune-Ahmednagar Road. Every day, traffic comes to a standstill here as vehicles wait for trains to pass. In February and March this year, the committee conducted a signature campaign and garnered support from over 15,000 people to press for their demand.The railways, the Pune Municipal Corporation, the defence department and the Pune Cantonment Board have a significant role to play in getting the proposal cleared. The defence authorities need to release the land required for the project. Convenor of the committee, Lt Col (retd) M K Gupta Ray said the members have met the defence authorities, PMC officials, MLA's and other elected office bearers.The committee has been urging the four authorities to sort out land availability and other issues to facilitate the work.

When the signature campaign and a meeting with local authorities failed to evince desired result, the committee wrote to the PMO and also sent copies of the letter to the President, defence minister, chief of the army staff and the state chief minister.

Convenor of the committee Lt Col (retd) M K Gupta Ray recently received a copy of the letter sent by the PMO to the defence secretary stating that appropriate action be taken.

"The letter has kindled a ray of hope and we are trying our best to get the two bridges constructed," Ray said. "Commuters are facing major delays as the gates stay closed for longer duration. Over 200 trains pass through these level crossings every day," he said.