Nagpur: Taking a lead for construction of a replacement to Ajni Railway Overbridge (RoB), Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is going to seek the help of the State Government as the cost of the new bridge is pegged at around Rs 200 crore, according to a report in local media.
According to the report, a meeting was held at NMC Headquarters under the aegis of Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Radhakrishnan B during the last week to chalk out modalities for a new RoB at Ajni. At the meeting, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) informed that they are no longer into the project to construct a eight-lane cable-stayed bridge at Ajni as the InterModal Station (IMS) project with which RoB was linked is in limbo.
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The report said that the Railway policy is clear, they bear 50 per cent cost of RoB if it is to be constructed over a level crossing or in a way is necessary from railway’s operation point of view. But the Ajni RoB project does not fall into either category. Since NHAI and Central Railway officials both said they can’t contribute financially, now the onus lies on NMC to take-up the project on its own. According to NMC sources, by next week a formal proposal about a new Ajni RoB would be sent to the State Government.
As to the reason for State help, sources pointed out that, first and foremost NMC did not have much funds and second and most important one was the civic body lacked the required expertise for executing a cable-stayed bridge. NMC had requested NHAI to provide the detailed drawing and their estimates that were prepared when the latter was in picture and supposed to construct the new RoB at Ajni.
When the project of IMS got scrapped, NHAI was at tender stage for the cable-stayed bridge and its cost was estimated around Rs 175 crore. However, the rates were of year 2015 and now the same would need revision and the RoB could cost up to Rs 200 crore. Theproposal would be drafted and sent to Urban Development Department (UDD) seeking latter’s help in construction of replacement bridge. In all probability, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) could be allotted the task because of its expertise in construction of cable-stayed bridges.
MSRDC has executed the prestigious Ram Jhula project at Santra Market where a four lane cable-stayed bridge was constructed. Hence in all probability, the State may entrust the task to MSRDC for construction of a replacement bridge at Ajni also, said sources. NMC has already talked to Chief Engineer, MSRDC, and kept them in loop about the new Ajni RoB. In case, State finances the project, MSRDC could be the natural choice and the agency would be in preparedness to fast track the project as from the beginning it is kept in association.
Abhijit Jichkar of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said at a meeting, that since IMS was no longer taking shape, the new RoB at Ajni thus is not under its preview. Ajni RoB was never in preview of NHAI and only because of the IMS project the project was included in the same as it was meant to facilitate smooth entry and exit of vehicles. Since the matter relating to felling of trees is still not cleared by State Tree Authority, NHAI was left with no option but to cancel IMS tender as the contractor could not carry out even basic work.
During the meeting, NHAI agreed to handover the general arrangement drawing (GAD), the same is already cleared by Central Railway, to NMC who are going to take the lead in construction. This would save precious time for new contractors in taking clearance form Railways which is quite a tedious and complicated process.
