Ranchi railway overbridges lack maintenance

RANCHI: A rerun of the Muzaffarpur railway bridge collapse is waiting to happen in the state capital as well. The railway bridges located at prime locations in Ranchi are not only old, some have been built around 37 years ago, but also dilapitated.
As many as 20 railway bridges come under the jurisdiction of Ranchi railway division and only a few of them are in good condition.The old ones are badly damaged and need immediate repair.
Doranda railway overbridge was constructed in 1974 and there are around 250 registered shops and 50 families who work and live under the bridge.
The pillars of the bridge have developed cracks and the cemented plaster falls over the roofs of shops below. Even the rusted iron rods hang from the barricades, which is a matter of concern among comuters. In the pretext of repair, only painting and some plaster work has been done by the railways and road department of the state.
Residents have repeatedly complained to the state road construction department, but all in vain.
"Nobody wants to take the responsibility of maintenance of the bridge. If there were to be a rerun of the Muzaffarpur incident, it would be a disaster. This is the only commercial and popular bridge that connects the state assembly, secretariat, directorate offices and airport," said Shakil Ahmed who runs a hardware shop under the bridge.
Another railway bridge that needs renovation is situated at Birsa Chowk. This railway over bridge too is in poor condition with its barricades broken. The bridge literally trembles whenever a heavy vehicle plies on it. People living in nearby areas remain under constant fear of a mishap and pray each time they pass through the bridge.
Rajesh Kerketta from Kadru has his office in HEC and has to cross the bridge to reach there every day. He said, "Each time I pass the bridge, I pray to God. How can the government play with the lives of common people? Even they have to cross the bridge for attending assembly session and meetings in the secretariat."
Quizzed about maintenance, divisional railway manager for Ranchi, Gajanand Mallya said, "We are only concerned with the maintenance of the bridge's portion, which lies above the tracks. For the rest of the portion, the road department of the state is responsible. Bridges under our jurisdic are in good condition."The road department officials could not be contacted for their comments.