Agreement reached on ROB construction

Agreement reached on ROB construction
Deccan herald

Residents of Cooke Town had their moments of cheer on Wednesday, after an in-principle agreement was reached over construction of the Railway Over Bridge (ROB) in their neighbourhood. The ROB has been in news over the past couple of weeks...

Residents of Cooke Town had their moments of cheer on Wednesday, after an in-principle agreement was reached over construction of the Railway Over Bridge (ROB) in their neighbourhood. The ROB has been in news over the past couple of weeks, with the residents alleging delay tactics by one of the project’s stakeholders, ITC.

After a mass protest under the Residents’ Welfare Association Bangalore East (REWABE) on Wednesday, the residents chose to put the blame on “miscommunication” between them and the ITC.

“The ITC officials came forward and extended their complete co-operation to the project. We are told that instead of the earlier 26,000 sq ft, the company will now release 40,000 sq ft of land for the project,” Mr N Ramesh, President, REWABE told Deccan Herald.

According to sources, the 31-day delay happened because the project’s architects were in the process of zeroing in on the exact extent of land required to be earmarked for the ROB. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and South Western Railways are the other stakeholders in the project.

“ITC officials have agreed in principle that there won’t be any further delay in the project. They have already released the land and removed hoardings and constructions that come in the way of the project,” said Mr Vivek Menon, a resident of Cooke Town.

The delay till date is expected to be compensated by the contractors over the next eight months. The Rs 11-crore project has a November, 2007 d