Commute an ordeal sans railway underpass at Dhakoli

Mohali, February 12

Thousands of Dhakoli residents are facing inconvenience on a daily basis due to lack of a railway underpass in the area.

Road users commuting from Panchkula, Zirakpur and Dhakoli areas have to wait at the railway gate for around half an hour during morning and evening rush hours. School buses, ambulances and office-goers remain stranded as they wait for trains to pass at this stretch.

The narrow road on either end of the level crossing witnesses chaos once the gate opens. Area residents have been demanding an underpass for years, but the Punjab Government and Railways have turned a blind eye to the problem.

Thousands of residents living in nearly 50-60 housing societies in the area commute daily to Zirakpur, Chandigarh and nearby towns using this stretch. The level crossing remains a hurdle during office hours.

KR Sharma, president, Unified Residents' Welfare Association, says: "Residents living in Dhakoli and nearby areas face inconvenience on a daily basis, but authorities remain unmoved. There is utter chaos in the morning, with school buses and ambulances getting stuck at the crossing, but neither the government nor Railways is ready to provide a solution."

Local residents say the state government has put the ball in the Railways court, saying it is for the public sector behemoth to undertake the construction of an underpass. The Railways, on the other hand, says the government has not shown any interest in completing the formalities. Sunny Mehta, a resident of Golden Sand Apartments in Dhakoli says: "People refrain from buying units here as precious time is lost in commute."

Meanwhile, the Railways has opened the Gazipur underpass, closed for a month, for light motor vehicles and two-wheelers. The authorities had shut the underpass after it showed signs of damage due to heavy vehicles passing underneath.

A seven and a half feet iron gate has been erected, high enough only for light motor vehicles to pass. The entry of tractor-trailers, trucks and tippers has been restricted here.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/k17SiYv