Endless wait for foot overbridge at railway line

Safety of pedestrians near railway tracks seems to be the least of South Western Railway’s (SWR’s) concerns.   

Even after a decade, the pedestrian crossing facility at the Hebbal flyover railway line (Hebbal-Banaswadi crossing) is yet to see the light of day.  

Despite several requests, SWR has failed to provide a safe pedestrian crossing near the railway line.

Following a post in the government’s public grievance portal by Sanjeev Dyamannavar, SWR replied that they can provide the facility, provided BBMP deposits Rs 3.5 crore with it. 

The Railways said that they have completed work on the foot overbridge (FoB) at Kadugodi near Whitefield railway station and work on another foot overbridge near the ITC flyover on Wheelers Road is nearing completion. However, these works were taken up for BBMP, after the latter deposited money. 

BBMP had, in the past, requested for the construction of a subway near the Hebbal flyover. After site inspection, it was found that constructing a subway was not feasible and a FoB can be constructed. 

The BBMP has been asked to deposit Rs 3.5 crore and work will be taken up only after money is deposited, SWR said. 

Railway barrier

Residents say that earlier, there was a railway barrier and four guards worked in shifts to monitor the movement of pedestrians. But ever since the Hebbal flyover was constructed, the authorities discontinued the arrangement. 

When K H Muniyappa was the union minister of state for railways, he had visited the spot and promised to construct a subway.

 But nothing has been done. With the study conducted by railways stating that a FoB would be better suited than a subway, residents have no clue how long they will have to wait for a FoB.