SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Citizen Paul Pereira Utorda
There is an urgent need for a four wheeler rail flyover or ROB within the jurisdiction of village Utorda between LC No. 43 (Near Utorda Church) and LC No. 24A (Arrossim).
Villagers of Utorda are the maximum perpetual sufferers and directly affected people due to double tracking of the South Western Railway Line. It is the duty and obligation on the part of railways and the state government to make sure that all the necessary mitigation measures are acted upon in a time bound manner so as to reduce the daily hardships of the villagers.
Most of the villagers own four and/or two wheelers. The railway authorities cannot make the villagers suffer by denying them the four wheeler rail flyover at an appropriate location which is convenient to all with minimum damages to the existing residential houses. Construction of a two wheeler flyover as an alternative in lieu of the already demolished existing foot bridge at Utorda is not an appropriate solution to ease the daily hardships of the villagers.
The villagers of Utorda need long term permanent lasting solution by way of constructing rail flyover which can cater to all types of vehicular movement. The ideal construction of the rail flyover must be on stilts with provision for walkways on both sides.
As per South Western Railway official website (www.swr.indianrailways.gov.in) 16 nos of rail flyovers or ROB projects were sanctioned in the year 2020-21 between Chandor and Cansaulim. But, till date there is no rail flyover constructed at village Utorda for reasons best known to RVNL and state government.
Almost 90 percent of villagers of Utorda have their houses on the west side of the railway track. The church and the local high school are located on the eastern side of the railway track. At Utorda, the present ground situation is triple track lines and one can imagine the daily frequency of trains passing on these lines. Also, in near future most likely the railway level gate crossing will be permanently closed at Utorda LC No. 43.
There is considerable daily increase in traffic movement along the Utorda to Verna road. Congestion of traffic at the LC No. 43 (Utorda) due to closure of gate at every 4 to 5 minutes interval has continued to cause tremendous hardships and time delays to the villagers to attend school, church services, agricultural activities, medical emergencies, work, etc. Moreover, the Utorda to Verna road is just in the range of 5 to 6 meters wide which cannot accommodate the increased volume of daily traffic. This road too needs urgent widening wherever possible.
If the current ongoing situation is not resolved, the villagers of Utorda are left with no other option but will have to first visit Majorda rail underpass and then make left turn in order to visit Utorda church and school. The railway’s failure to provide a four wheeler flyover at Utorda village jurisdiction will only make the villagers of Utorda to suffer terribly leading to agitations and protests.
