Citizen Connect: Without foot overbridge, commuters in Annanur face accidents and congestion

“During the peak hours in the morning, students, office-goers and other commuters have to wait in long queues for the railway gate to open. There is no other alternative to cross the tracks as the foot overbridge has been under construction for several years now,” said Kavimuhil, a resident of Annanur.

As trains are frequent in the morning, it is even more difficult to cross the tracks as the gate is closed very often. “There is no time restriction for vehicles on this stretch. Even heavy vehicles can be seen waiting for the gate to open. Besides the traffic congestion, it also causes accidents often,” said Sukanto, another resident in the locality.

The commuters rued that the construction of the FOB, which began several years ago, has been on hold for a long time. In the absence of an FOB, motorists have to walk over the tracks to cross. The problem worsens during monsoon as the roads are waterlogged.

“The road on either side of the railway crossing is narrow and the tracks are unlevelled, making it prone to accidents. The tracks pose risk to commuters at night as it is difficult to see the approaching train. Despite many complaints to the authorities on the issue, the construction has been delayed,” said Raghu Kumar, a commuter.

Zonal authorities and State Transport authorities said that the construction of the FOB was put on hold due to a few changes in the project. They assert that the construction will be completed soon and will ease the congestion in the area.