Thousands of residents living in Kharghar and Taloja phase 1 in Navi Mumbai will get a Diwali gift as the newly constructed Road Under Bridge (RUB) connecting these two nodes will be thrown open very soon. The RUB is jointly being constructed by the Railways and CIDCO. At present, motorists have to use a level crossing which is time-consuming due to high frequency of long route trains, and risky as well.
More than 95% construction work of the RUB on the Panvel-Diva section of Central Railway has already been completed and according to official from the Railways, by third week of November, it can be made operational.
In the last two months, locals have staged protest twice to open the RUB as motorists have to wait for hours at the level crossing and have to face traffic congestion soon after opening it for motorists. Kasam Mulani, a social worker who is also affiliated to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has been following with the Railways official to open the RUB. “I had a discussion with executive engineer of the Central Railway in Panvel and he has assured to open the RUB during Diwali,” said Mulani.
FPJ Photo
On October 7, the deputy chief engineer Ashutosh Kumar had informed the CIDCO that around 95% work of the RUB was completed and it required one and a half months to complete the remaining. However, for the last one week, a message has been floating on social media that the RUB will be thrown open on November 15. When FPJ contacted Kumar regarding the opening date of RUB, he said that he has no idea about it. However, he told he had already clarified on October 7 that it required at least one and a half months to complete. In the letter, he had said that drainage management, approach road among few small but important works were remaining to complete.
On the contrary, Mulani said that executive engineer of Panvel area has assured him about the opening. "The one and a half months period will end on November 21. Even the railways take its own time, it should be opened by the third week of November,” added Mulani.
