Inordinate delay in the commencement of Rail Over Bridge (ROB) work across the manned railway crossing near the railway station in Pachur near Natrampalli is forcing hundreds of students from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to walk across the track to reach the Government Higher Secondary School in the Tamil Nadu village every day.
Residents said the railway level crossing was closed more than two years ago to build a bridge by the Department of State Highways, in coordination with the Southern Railway, to provide the people of more than a dozen farming villages easy access to Natrampalli, Jolarpet, Vaniyambadi and Tirupattur.
As part of the project, a limited use vehicular subway is also under construction by the Southern Railway to provide safe access to both sides of the village. However, the work for the new bridge has not started yet and the subway work is moving at snail’s pace. “We told our students not to cross the track but the detour is longer for them. Opening of the new subway is the permanent solution to prevent loss of lives,” said S. Ganesan, headmaster of the school.
