Railways seals road built on its land

BENGALURU: In a bizarre incident, Bengaluru railway officials have closed a connecting road in Panathur area, because it was laid on railway property without its consent. In an official release, the railways  charged BBMP with encroaching its property near the Bellandur railway station. BBMP contractor had laid asphalt on a muddy road of about 300 metres between Panathur Main Road and Panathur Dinne overnight, the release said. The work was done recently but no one is aware of the exact date.

An official added that the seven-metre road was sealed by the railways on Tuesday and will be reopened on Thursday. This followed talks held by MP PC Mohan with local residents, BBMP and railway officials on Wednesday to diffuse the situation.“Recently, a contractor of BBMP had laid a road overnight without the permission of the railways and tried to encroach on railway land. The staff carried out routine inspection and noticed this and alerted the Railway Protection Force on Tuesday,” the release added. 

The Railways erected a barrier made of old sleepers over the road and erected boundary pillars to demarcate railway land and prevent encroachment. BBMP officials said that they were in the process of acquiring private land to lay another alternate road and it would take up to six months to complete the process.