Marappalam underpass expansion stalls as SH dept, rlys pass the buck

Railway officials say utilities yet to be shifted; no approved plan for project, claims SH dept

- R KIRUBAKARAN @ Coimbatore

EXPANSION work of the Madukkarai-Marappalam railway underpass on the Palakkad road has been halted again amid a blame game by the State Highways Department and the Palakkad Railway Division.

Railway officials said the state highways department has not shifted the drinking water pipeline and the electricity lines crossing the area where the work is scheduled due to the delay in obtaining administrative sanction from the state government.

However, highways department officials claim they can settle the issue easily even without the administrative sanction and pointed fingers at the railway officials who could not get departmental approval for the underpass plan drawing.