Comba flyover in administrative limbo, completion not expected before 2028

Ignoring the closed gate, students push their cycles across the Comba railway crossing under a traffic cop’s watch.

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar

MARGAO
Guess how many years will it take on average to execute work on the much-awaited flyover at the Comba railway crossing to put an end to traffic snarls arising from the frequent closure of the crossing to pave the way for trains to run on the tracks?

Well, one cannot expect a flyover to take shape over the railway tracks overnight given the work involved in the construction. But, even assuming the government decides to sanction and start the flyover project from tomorrow, PWD engineers say it will take a minimum of two and a half years to three years to complete the project.

This means even assuming the government lays the foundation stone in mid-2025, which is a remote possibility given that the flyover at the Comba railway crossing has yet to receive sanction from the Union government to date, one can hope to see the flyover taking shape only in 2028, indicating that the more the delay in sanctioning the project and commencement of work on the flyover, the student community in particular and the public at large will have no option but to fend for themselves.

These and other questions came back to haunt the authorities on Day One of the re-opening of schools on Wednesday after the summer break. While students headed to the Comba education hub, playing host to thousands of students enrolled in kindergarten to post-graduation, to start a new academic year, they had to face the same old question of traffic bottlenecks and snarls at the Comba railway crossing with the frequent closure of the railway gate.

When 'The Goan' team descended at the crossing, they came across a traffic personnel manning traffic on the Margao side of the crossing, while a home guard performed similar duties on the Pedda side.

The closure of the crossing for traffic to facilitate the movement of trains did not deter the school students from crossing the tracks. A group of students, who cycled their way to school, were found crossing the tracks with their cycles after they found the crossing closed. Similarly, another group of students rushed to cross the tracks when the crossing was closed to ensure they did not arrive late on the first day of school.

Four-wheelers preferred to cross the Comba Subway, located just metres away from the crossing. The subway, motorists say, has outlived its utility since its inauguration around a decade and a half ago, with the traffic increasing by leaps and bounds.

Consider this: the flyover project was designed by then PWD Executive Engineer, Prasad Panandikar, who retired from service around 14 months ago. If sources are to be believed, it’s now around two years since Panandikar submitted the flyover plan and design to the government for implementation and execution. “Two years have passed and there’s no sign of the work on the flyover commencing at Comba. Considering that the flyover may take a minimum of three years for completion, the project may materialise only in 2028 assuming the work starts in 2025,” informed an engineer.

He added: “Presently the Comba railway crossing is closed for traffic 72 times a day for the trains, including the goods trains, to pass. Just imagine a situation in and around Comba in the next two to three years when the frequency of trains running on the tracks is expected to go up with the addition of new trains and movement of trains after the completion of the track doubling project.”

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Comba flyover awaits nod under 'Setu Bandhan'

MARGAO: The Goa government had proposed to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in November 2023 to take up the Comba railway crossing flyover along with the Victor Hospital-La Flor flyover.

While the Apollo Hospital-La Flor project has found favour with the Centre, with the Union Ministry sanctioning funds to the tune of Rs 95 crore for the flyover, the Comba railway crossing flyover lies in limbo.

Sources said the Victor Hospital-La Flor project has been approved by the Centre and will be executed under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund. The Centre had communicated to the Principal Chief, PWD, U P Parsekar, that the Comba railway flyover would be taken up for execution under the Setu Bandhan.

Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had recently told 'The Goan' that he is constantly following up with the government for the Comba railway crossing flyover. Given that the Victor Hospital-La Flor project got the Centre’s nod in the last financial year, Kamat has expressed confidence that the Comba flyover will find favour with the Centre in the current financial year.