Land Acquisition delays Stymie Progress of Kukudagate ROB Project

The highly anticipated road over bridge (ROB) initiative at the Kukudagate level-crossing, situated along the bustling Howrah-Mumbai main line, has encountered obstacles in the process of land acquisition. The construction of this ROB, which is being established at the junction of NH-320D near Rourkela city, has encountered a pause on one side due to delays in procuring the necessary land. Despite being granted approval in 2010, the project has hit this setback.According to sources, there was a series of protests by a segment of tribal communities, causing significant delays before the ROB project could commence. Eventually, in March 2022, the project was finally initiated, starting from the Bisra end following the arrest of 22 protesters by the police. Notably, considerable progress has been achieved towards completion from the Bisra end, while activity is yet to commence at the Rourkela end.Ashutosh Jena, the Sub-Divisional Officer of the Works department, highlighted that the project is a collaborative effort between the state government and the South Eastern Railway (SER), estimated to cost around Rs 470 million. Since work has not yet commenced at the Rourkela end, the projected completion date has been extended by a year, now targeting November 2024.In response to the demands of local residents, a joint assessment was carried out by the Works department and SER to potentially establish an underpass for the Kapatmunda village. A separate cost estimation of over Rs 200 million for this underpass is soon to be submitted to the government for approval, as mentioned by Jena.