Rly team inspects Trichy-Pudukkottai gauge conversion

Tiruchirapalli, Sep 27 (UNI) A high power railway team headed by Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Varghese is inspecting the ongoing Tiruchirapalli-Manamadurai gauge conversion work in view of the inordinate delay in the completion of the project.

The team is inspecting the progress of work on the 55-km long Tiruchirapalli-Pudukkottai, consisting of two major bridges, 40 minor bridges and 43 level crossings, 17 of which were manned. Beyond Pudukkottai and up to Karaikudi, the 37-km section consists of three major bridges, 130 minor bridges and culverts and 22 level crossings of which 12 were unmanned.

For the entire 92-km length, the sanctioned outlay was Rs 187.81 crores. The work, which commenced on December 24, 2005, was originally scheduled to be completed by this month.

Talking to UNI before proceeding for inspection along with senior railway officials in a motorised trolley today, Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Verghese said there were no shortages of raw materials like rails, concrete sleepers and ballast.

However, some contractors in these segments claimed a shortage of adequate manpower. The contractors alleged that they could not mobilise labour citing the reason that most of them were busy in the tsunami relief operations across Tamil Nadu.

Mr Varghese said the railway administration would initiate steps for expediting the project.

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