Mangaluru : The members of CPM and DYFI staged a protest in front of RUB in Padil-Bajal road on Monday urging Mangalore City Corporation to accelerate the work on providing approach road to Road Under bridge (RUB) in lieu of level crossing on Padil-Bajal road.

CPM leader Sunil Kumar Bajal said the foundation for RUB was laid on August 16, 2014 by the then Union Minister for Railway D V Sadananda Gowda. He had promised to commission the RUB by February. However, owing to negligent attitude of Mangalore City Corporation, the work on approach road to the RUB is pending, he said.

He said the Horata Samithi in the region had demanded ROB. However, the railways said since the manned level crossing was one of the busiest, movement of trains could not be held up during the construction of the bridge.

As a result, railways took up the work on road under bridge instead of road over bridge, using the box-pushing technology.

Because of the railway level crossing on Padil-Bajal Road, routine life of residents of Padil, Bajal, Faisalnagar, Vijayanagar, Veeranagar, Jalligudde, and Alape was affected.

The Padil-Bajal road was closed to facilitate the work on RUB since last October.

As a result, the residents are facing hardship. Without movement of vehicles, they have to use the longer distance route to reach the place in case of an emergency. The residents have to walk to reach the main road. Inspite of the inconvenience met by the residents, the MCC has failed to provide approach road at the earliest and throw open the RUB for vehicular movement, Bajal added.

DYFI leader B K Imthiyaz said that the road under bridge is being constructed at a cost of Rs 5.61 crore with the cost being shared by the State government, Mangalore City Corporation and the railways. “The Southern Railway has completed the work on RUB. However, the commissioning of the RUB is delayed due to the attitude of the MCC. The MCC is yet to submit the approved designs for the approach road,” he alleged.

The water from a nearby drain that had flooded the boxes, owing to incomplete work. The water has remained stagnated in the RUB. The protesters warned of picketing the MCC, Mayor’s chamber and Commissioner’s chamber, if the work on the approach road to RUB fail to commence at the earliest.

It may be recalled that recently when MP Nalin KUmar Kateel and MLA J R Lobo visited the spot to inspect the ongoing work, the duo had said although Southern Railway has pushed cement concrete boxes under the railway lines there are issues relating to laying approach roads on both the sides.

The MCC was asked to shift the water supplying pipeline for allowing the railways to build a retaining wall on both the sides of the RUB.