Pune: Bombay Engineering Group (BEG), which is constructing foot over-bridges (FOBs) at three railway stations in Mumbai, has received six Bailey bridges and expects to set up the facilities by the second week of January 2018.
A senior Army officer privy to the development told TOI on Sunday that the assembly of these bridges will commence soon at each site. "After completing the piling works, we will be in a position to set up the bridges by the second week of January," he said.
The Army has started piling (work to lay a structure's foundations) for the FOB connecting Elphinstone Road and Parel stations. The FOB, where 23 people died in a stampede on September 29, is being rebuilt to increase capacity. On October 31, railway minister Piyush Goyal, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Elphinstone Road station and announced that FOBs at Ambivli, Currey Road and Elphistone Road stations would be constructed by the Army.
The BEG officer said they had initially deployed about 50 Sappers led by an officer in the rank of a Colonel for the work on the bridges. He added, "The number has been raised by 30 Sappers because we need extra manpower to take care of the Bailey bridge components and their assembly."
BEG sources said the manpower will be gradually increased. "The safety and security of the personnel is important. We have to manage the manpower keeping in mind the limited space at the work sites. Extra manpower may cause safety issue. We may deploy about 150 personnel as the work reaches the finishing stage," a BEG source said.
Another senior Army officer confirmed told TOI that they got a private plot at Curry Road railway station in November to start work at the site. "As per our calculation, we are about two weeks behind the January 31deadline," he added.
"Our endeavour is to deliver quality work and also finish the work within the deadline. We need to spare some extra days to dry the piled foundation for the best results. We can't compromise on the quality of work, as the bridges should be in place for over 50 years," the officer added.
BEG has also formed its internal technical team to take care of the technical aspect of the work. "The team will monitor the work closely and concentrate on its technical aspects as well," a source said.
Army sources said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been using the Bailey bridges in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast because of their durability. "The Bailey bridges can sustain extreme weather conditions such as -40 degrees temperature in J&K and NE. The BRO has constructed over 500 such bridges in these regions and they are stable even after a couple of decades," a source said.
A senior Army officer privy to the development told TOI on Sunday that the assembly of these bridges will commence soon at each site. "After completing the piling works, we will be in a position to set up the bridges by the second week of January," he said.
The Army has started piling (work to lay a structure's foundations) for the FOB connecting Elphinstone Road and Parel stations. The FOB, where 23 people died in a stampede on September 29, is being rebuilt to increase capacity. On October 31, railway minister Piyush Goyal, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Elphinstone Road station and announced that FOBs at Ambivli, Currey Road and Elphistone Road stations would be constructed by the Army.
The BEG officer said they had initially deployed about 50 Sappers led by an officer in the rank of a Colonel for the work on the bridges. He added, "The number has been raised by 30 Sappers because we need extra manpower to take care of the Bailey bridge components and their assembly."
BEG sources said the manpower will be gradually increased. "The safety and security of the personnel is important. We have to manage the manpower keeping in mind the limited space at the work sites. Extra manpower may cause safety issue. We may deploy about 150 personnel as the work reaches the finishing stage," a BEG source said.
Another senior Army officer confirmed told TOI that they got a private plot at Curry Road railway station in November to start work at the site. "As per our calculation, we are about two weeks behind the January 31deadline," he added.
"Our endeavour is to deliver quality work and also finish the work within the deadline. We need to spare some extra days to dry the piled foundation for the best results. We can't compromise on the quality of work, as the bridges should be in place for over 50 years," the officer added.
BEG has also formed its internal technical team to take care of the technical aspect of the work. "The team will monitor the work closely and concentrate on its technical aspects as well," a source said.
Army sources said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been using the Bailey bridges in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast because of their durability. "The Bailey bridges can sustain extreme weather conditions such as -40 degrees temperature in J&K and NE. The BRO has constructed over 500 such bridges in these regions and they are stable even after a couple of decades," a source said.
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