MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta and Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath visiting the site of the under-construction twin Railway Underbridges on the Morgan’s Gate-Jeppinamogaru Road at Mahakalipadpu in Mangaluru on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta told officials of Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. and the Southern Railway to work in coordination to commission the twin Railway Underbridges (RuBs) on Morgan’s Gate-Jeppinamogaru Road at Mahakalipadpu in the city.

Visiting the worksite with Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath on Wednesday, Capt. Chowta said the delay in completing the project appeared to have been caused by the absence of coordination between the Railways and the MSCL. Even though the Railways pushed the concrete boxes for the RuB, concreting of the underpasses and approach roads could not be completed, he regretted.

Meanwhile, Smart City officials blamed untimely rains for the delay in commissioning the RuBs and said that water stagnation in the underpass was hindering the completion of the approach roads.

Railways has to lay a pipeline to pump and drain out stagnant water towards the Netravathi, after which the approach roads could be completed, they said. Notwithstanding these claims, the officials promised to open at least one carriageway of the underpass for traffic by July 15.

The Hindu had reported on June 2 about the opening of the RuBs, work on which had started in March 2021, getting stalled and thereby forcing people to endure the inconvenience indefinitely.

The then MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and Mr. Kamath had laid the foundation stone for the twin RuB project under ‘deposit’ scheme with the MSCL depositing ₹30.7 crore for the RuBs with the Railways, and the MP getting ₹19.87 crore from the MPLAD funds for the construction of the 1.07 km four-lane road. The work did not gain momentum for nearly a year thereafter and picked up only after December 2022, when the Railways closed the Mahakalipadpu Railway Level Crossing to all vehicles, except two-wheelers.