Railwaysdemolishesshops to paveway for newAjni RoB
| Date :09-Feb-2023 |
Staff Reporter
About 24 shops stretching from Kamble Square till Ajni railway overbridge (RoB) were razed on Wednesday by the divisional railway authorities to make way for proposed new 8-laned cable-stayed bridge. Two months back, Central Railway’s Nagpur Division had issued notices about termination of shop lease to the shopkeepers and granted time to vacate. Somehow, the deadline stretched for one month, and finally the ‘D-day’ arrived. For last few days, the shopkeepers had started vacating the premises, shifting the material and machines to other location as local railway authorities sounded out the lease holders that no more extension is now possible. Among the shop, one was quite well-known and, in fact, it was a landmark at Ajni bridge, Mamu’s Chai Ki Dukan, was hangout for passers-by and mostly the railway employees.
The nondescript tea shop was started about 30 to 40-years back by a World War II veteran and since then it was a prime spot for Railway Colony and nearby residents to spent some quality time and relax after a day’s hectic work.
A visit to Mamu’s tea shop was must, almost part of daily routine for railway colony residents and others. Since the tea shop lay in between to their office route, for passers-by it was a brief stop over to sip hot cup of tea was on almost daily basis. Now only memories remain. During chilly winter days, one could see horde of crowd outside Mamu's shop.
Since morning, local railway officials deployed earth moving machines to raze the semi-pucca structures. Taking off from Kamble Square, from where the new approach of the cable stayed bridge is going to start the bulldozer start razing the shop one by one. The local police had made arrangement for regulating the movement of traffic to ensure the demolition operation went on unhindered. After over three hours of work, only debris remained at the stretch from Kamble Square till RoB, that was quite a support for the colony residents.
Now only the building housing office of Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone-IV and that of Ajni Division of Traffic Control Branch remains on the road stretch and they too are issued notice to vacate the premises. Once their alternate office location is finalised, the building is also going to be demolished. Thereafter a garden of Ajni railway colony will also needs to be removed to pave way for levelling the ground and starting basic work for approach of the new bridge.
Meanwhile, MRIDCL is in final stages of awarding the contract for the construction of new 8-laned cable stayed bridge. A tender was floated during the month of November and right now MRDICL officials are busy scrutinising the bids and the contract could be finalised sooner than later.
According to scheme of things, in first phase, a four-lane bridge will be constructed on the Southern end, adjoining the existing Ajni RoB. One of the approaches of the new RoB will start from Kamble Square and its landing could ether be near the office of Irrigation Department or near Chunabhatti. Thereafter in second phase the old RoB will be demolished to enable construction of new four lane cable stayed bridge, connecting Congress Nagar with Ajni Railway Colony.
