esidents fume as they are ‘ROB’bed of road access

esidents fume as they are ‘ROB’bed of road access
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Residents of Cox Town have again reached a point of desperation. This time, it is not due to the slow pace of work on the railway overbridge (ROB) on Wheeler’s Road, but the sudden barricading of the level-crossing on the road.
Pedestrians are now forced to take a long detour to reach the shopping area, the bus stop, bank or schools on the other side, which were otherwise at a short distance earlier.
“Most residents used to go through the level crossing. But the railways and the BBMP have barricaded it without prior notice, which has caused us great hardship,’’ said N Thyagaraju, president of Sarvajnanagar (Cox Town) Citizens’ Forum.
“They can put up a foot overbridge here, as the existing one is on Mosque Road, about a kilometre away,’’ Thyagaraju added.
Meanwhile, the South Western Railway, which has partnered BBMP in this cost-sharing project, said the barricade was installed for safety reasons.
“It is a safety requirement as major work on the overbridge begins now. We cannot let people move around at the site. However, we can provide a foot overbridge but only if the BBMP agrees to fund it,’’ said Mahesh Mangal, South Western Railway divisional railway manager.