Jugsalai footbridge awaits railway nod

JAMSHEDPUR: Residents in Jamshedpur’s suburban areas of Bagbera, Rajnagar and Jilingora will have to wait longer for a foot overbridge (FOB) to cross the Jugsalai railway crossing.
Though a section of the residents are urging the officials of the Chakradharpur railway division to build the FOB at the earliest, the railway division is waiting for the railway board’s nod to embark on the project.
Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahto, who met Archana Joshi, the general manager of the South Eastern Railway (SER), on Tuesday, said, “The GM said that the Chakradharpur division’s proposal to build a FOB on Jugsalai level crossing is pending approval from the railway board.”
Chief minister Hemant Soren inaugurated a road over bridge (ROB) over the level crossing in January. However, the level crossing has since been closed for pedestrians and cyclists.
“Most of the residents are daily wagers who work in factories. Also, students and working women use bicycles and walk to their destinations. The closure of the level crossing for pedestrians and cyclists are forcing them to take a detour of over a kilometre,” Sardar Shailendra Singh, the chairman of Jharkhand Rajya Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, said.
Mohammad Arshad, a fruit seller, said, “Earlier, we had to cross the level crossing, which is about 20 metres in radius, to reach other parts of the city. But now, it is about a mile.”
The residents are also miffed over the lack of streetlights on the ROB. “We experience problem in negotiating the road after sunset,” Jugsalai resident Ratan Agarwal said.