Railways carry massive anti-encroachment drive at Jugsalai to pave way for overbridge

Six buildings demolished, Railways to charge demolition cost from the owners

Jamshedpur: The dream for the new railway overbridge at the Jugsalai level crossing inched closer as a massive anti-encroachment drive was carried out by the Tatanagar railways on Friday.

A team of railway protection force (RPF) and local police used as many as three excavators to demolish building and business establishments as old as 100 years. The drive started at 10.45 am and was continuing at the time of filing the report.

Inspector, RPF, Tatanagar, MK Singh who is leading the drive said in all 56 buildings, all set up on the railway land along the Tata-Adityapur section will be pulled down.

“We had already given orders to the occupants that they must vacate it. We started demolishing the houses, several of them three-storeyed building from the Jugsalai level-crossing end. The demolition will go upto 180 metres toward the Adityapur end,” said Singh.  He said till afternoon only six buildings, including a business establishment could be razed.

The RPF inspector said as the occupants had been served notice well in advance and there was no protest from the owners of the buildings and business establishments.

Prominent among the business establishments which were razed include Gangour Sweets, a famous sweat shop near the Jugsalai level crossing and Kashmir Timber.

Anish Chatrath, owner of Kashmir Timber said they were prepared for such drive as the railway had already served notice to them six months ago. “We were hoping some ray pf hope may take place and our establishment might be saved from being razed,” said Anish. He pointed out his grandfather Swedesh Kumar Chatrat had established the timber business about nine decades before.

An officer of the Tatanagar railway engineering department said that they would charge cost incurred in demolishig the structures from the owners of the buildings.

“As per our plans these buildings were set up on railway land, we will charge demolition cost from the owners of these buildings,” said the officer on condition of anonymity.

As the anti-encroachment drive started, the RPF and the local police had blocked the communication through the Jugsalai level-crossing, causing inconvenience to the people as they had to move through Ghoda Chowk in Jugsalai.

The railway overbridge is being set up jointly by the railway and state road construction department (RCD) at a cost of Rs 16 crores.  The railway is contributing Rs 6 crores where as the rest of the cost will be borne by the RCD. The road over bridge would ensure smooth traffic and avoid decongestion as the commuters face it now while crossing the level crossing. The existing Jugsalai roundabout will remain where it is not, but its size will be reduced mariginally.

After pressure from local representatives, the state road construction division had carried out a survey earlier last year and submitted the proposed area for construction of the approach for the railway overbridge and the encroached structures which had made the administration to go for the demolition drive.