Published On : Thu, Feb 9th, 2023

Finally, Railways bulldoze shops to pave way for new Ajni RoB

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Nagpur: Finally, 27 shops stretching from Kamble Square till Ajni Railway Overbridge (RoB) were bulldozed on Wednesday by the Divisional Railway authorities to make way for proposed new 8-laned cable-stayed bridge. Two months back, Central Railway’s Nagpur Division had issued notices about termination of shop lease to the shopkeepers and granted time to vacate. Somehow, the deadline stretched for one month, and finally the ‘D-day’ arrived.

For the last few days, the shopkeepers had started vacating the premises, shifting the material and machines to other locations as local railway authorities sounded out the lease holders that no more extension is now possible. Among the shops, one was quite well-known and, in fact, it was a landmark at Ajni Bridge, Mamu’s Chai Ki Dukan, was a hangout for passers-by and mostly the railway employees. The nondescript tea shop was started about 30 to 40-years back by a World War II veteran and since then it was a prime spot for Railway Colony and nearby residents to spend some quality time and relax after a day’s hectic work.

Since morning, local railway officials deployed earth moving machines to raze the semi-pucca structures. Taking off from Kamble Square, from where the new approach of the cable-stayed bridge is going to start, the bulldozer started demolishing the shop one by one. The local police had made arrangements for regulating the movement of traffic to ensure the demolition operation went on unhindered. After over three hours of work, only debris remained at the stretch from Kamble Square till RoB, which was quite a support for the colony residents.

Now only the building housing office of Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone-IV and that of Ajni Division of Traffic Control Branch remains on the road stretch and they too are issued notice to vacate the premises. Once their alternate office location is finalised, the building is also going to be demolished. Thereafter a garden of Ajni Railway Colony will also need to be removed to pave way for levelling the ground and starting basic work for approach of the new bridge.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (MRIDCL), a joint venture of the State Government and Indian Railways, is in the final stages of awarding the contract for the construction of a new 8-laned cable-stayed bridge. Tenders for over Rs188 crore project have already been floated in November. MRIDC will construct the six-lane cable-stayed bridge (Ram-Laxman Jhula) similar to the one near the railway station. The length of the ROB will be 220 metres. Though funds have not been released yet, sources said some funds are expected soon for the project.

According to the scheme of things, in the first phase, a four-lane bridge will be constructed on the Southern end, adjoining the existing Ajni RoB. One of the approaches of the new RoB will start from Kamble Square and its landing could either be near the office of Irrigation Department or near Chunabhatti. Thereafter in the second phase the old RoB will be demolished to enable construction of a new four lane cable-stayed bridge, connecting Congress Nagar with Ajni Railway Colony.