No end to traffic snarls in Bagaha due to lack of RoB

BAGAHA: The narrow level crossing on the Narkatiaganj-Gorakhpur rail section under Samastipur division of the East Central Railway, which is located in the densely populated Naraipur locality and virtually the only way to enter Bagaha town from the west and the north, has been facing frequent traffic congestion.
When the gate of the level crossing is shut during the arrival of trains, there is hardly any space left on the road for pedestrians due to long queues of overloaded trucks, tractors and buses.The situation worsens when goods trains cross the area as a result of which the gate is closed for nearly 30 minutes.
Farmers claim that they are the worst sufferers as they are facing frequent traffic snarls in the sugar cane crushing season. They blame the local MLA and the MP for the situation and urge the district administration to divert heavy traffic from the area.
Ward councillor Nandesh Pandey says, “In February 2019, Union minister Nitin Gadkari had laid the foundation for two rail overbridges (RoBs) — one in Naraipur at an estimated cost Rs 62.48 crore and the other in Mangalpur at a cost of Rs 68.49 crore. However, the bidding process is yet to start.”
Meeting held: A meeting was recently held at the office of Bagaha SDM, ShekharAnand, for finding a solution to the problem of frequent traffic jams. SDPO Kailash Prasad and others shared their views and decided that the entry of cane-loaded vehicles would be prohibited in the town from 8am to 7pm every day. However, traffic snarls continue to happen frequently.