First Bhopal’s infamous bridge, now Indore’s Z-shaped ROB - 'Has two 90-degree turns'

Indore ROB (Courtesy: X)

Just as the dust was settling on Bhopal’s 90-degree turn ROB row, another storm has hit—this time in Indore. A fresh controversy has erupted over the "faulty design" of an under-construction Railway Overbridge in the city.

Madhya Pradesh PWD Minister Rakesh Singh, however, on Wednesday dismissed the concerns, asserting that the Indore ROB follows “fully approved technical designs and structural standards.”

Indore's Lok Sabha MP Shankar Lalwani has written a letter to the state's Public Works Minister over the design besides instructing officials to change the sharp turn proposed in the design of the under-construction ROB.

Local residents said there is a risk of accidents due to the faulty design of this bridge in Indore.

According to PTI, currently, the length of the under-construction ROB has been determined as 1027.60 meters with a width of 12 meters. Its design has been prepared with an aim of providing traffic facility in three directions. Three arms going towards Pologround, Laxmibai Station and Bhagirathpura have been included in the project, Singh explained.

The minister said there are a total of five turns (curves) in the overbridge, which are being constructed as per guidelines of the Indian Road Congress (IRC).

As per IRC standards, the PTI added, the minimum radius of a curve is 15 metres, whereas the radius of all the turns of this ROB is approximately 20 metres, making it completely balanced and safe from the design and structural point of view, he maintained.

All dimensions of the construction work such as radius of curvature, design speed and super elevation have been ensured as per standards, he said.

The ROB will play an important role in terms of traffic flow and convenience in three major areas of Indore city. A comparative overview of the condition of the construction site and the design drawings confirms that the work is being done as per the approved technical plans, the minister noted.

The Public Works Department is completing the work with transparency and quality, giving top priority to convenience and safety of citizens, he emphasised.

Lalwani told PTI on Wednesday that after looking at the map during a government meeting in late June, he felt a 90-degree turn was proposed in the design of the ROB being built at a Railway gate near Laxmibai Nagar station in Indore.

"In the meeting, I told government officials to reduce this turn by changing the design of the ROB. I have also written a letter to Public Works Minister Rakesh Singh in this regard so that fears of accidents and traffic jams due to ROB can be removed," the Lok Sabha MP said.

The PWD has given clarification on the controversy raised over the design of the under-construction ROB.

Executive Engineer (EE) of the Bridge Construction Department of PWD, Gurmeet Kaur Bhatia said, "The issue of a 90-degree turn has been raised in the media reports regarding the under-construction ROB of Indore. Therefore, the design of the ROB is being re-examined. If there is any need for improvement in it, then it will be done."

After inspecting the under-construction ROB, Dhananjay Chinchalkar, president of Pologround Industrialists Welfare Association, said, "The design of this ROB is flawed. Looking at the construction work, it can be guessed that its turn is very sharp and the slope is a bit high. If the design is not changed, then accidents will definitely happen on the ROB." The state government took action against officials responsible for the technical flaws in the construction of a 90-degree turn ROB in Bhopal and suspended seven engineers.

The ROB built near the Aishbagh Stadium in the state capital has become a subject of criticism and ridicule on social media as well as among people.