Vallah RoB to see the light of day soon

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 26

The Ministry of Defence has finally granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Railway Over Bridge (RoB) at Vallah.

The construction of the RoB at Vallah was stopped midway after its pier caps were constructed on both the sides. The Army had objected to its construction on the premise that some of its portion falls in the 1000-metre no-construction zone around the Army’s Vallah Ammunition dump. So, its construction was stopped in January 2020.

Abandoned, the bridge has now witnessed a growth of vegetation on its causeway. Dubbed as the maiden bowstring shape ROB in the entire city, once completed, it will pave way for a shorter alternate route from the GT road stretch near the ISBT to the four lane road on the bypass. Farmers, traders and consumers visiting the Vallah Mandi will also benefit from it.

A delegation of traders had met Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, requesting him to reduce the zone of 1,000 metre around the Army’s Vallah Ammunition depot to 350 metre and exempting the ROB from this norm in September.

However, the cost escalation of the Vallah railway over bridge (ROB) is being feared as its construction has been stalled for the past nearly 21 months.

Another major cause for concern for commuters, especially motorists, is that unpaved roads on either side of the under-construction bridge offers a bumpy ride, besides causing wear and tear to their vehicles. Wholesale vegetable and fruit sellers at Vallah Mandi say they are the worst victims as they have to commute on this road every day. A monsoon shower is enough to submerge the road. They pointed out that even a service lane, which is mandatory in case of such construction, is missing.