People of Palamu Division Suffering Due to Traffic Congestion at Tori Railway Crossing: Prakash Viplav

Kisan Sabha and CPI(M) workers hold march demanding immediate construction of flyover bridge, submit memorandum to Deputy Commissioner

Ranchi/Latehar: Kisan Sabha and CPI(M) workers on Monday organized a four-kilometre march from Udaypura to the District Collectorate demanding the immediate commencement of the proposed flyover bridge construction at Tori-Chandwa. The march was led by CPI(M) State Secretary Prakash Viplav, State Committee Member Ayub Khan, and District Secretary Rashid Mian.

The protesters alleged that despite the foundation stone for the Tori Railway Over Bridge (ROB) being laid on April 3, 2021, construction work has not begun even after nearly five years. Demonstrators demanded the immediate start of the flyover project and a permanent solution to the chronic traffic congestion at the Tori railway crossing.

Addressing a gathering after the march reached the Collectorate, Prakash Viplav said the traffic bottleneck at Tori railway crossing has become a major problem for the people of the Palamu division. He said commuters, patients, students, women, and other residents are forced to spend hours in traffic jams on a regular basis. He termed the delay in starting the project despite the foundation stone having been laid years ago as a reflection of the apathy of both the Central and State Governments.

State Committee Member and farmers’ leader Ayub Khan said farmers are among the worst affected by the persistent traffic congestion. He alleged that the Central Government, the Jharkhand Government, and the National Highways authorities have failed to address the issue seriously despite its direct impact on public welfare. Long closures of the railway gate frequently result in massive traffic jams, often obstructing ambulances and causing hardships to patients requiring urgent medical attention.

Following the meeting, a delegation of CPI(M) and Kisan Sabha leaders met Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate Sandeep Kumar and submitted a memorandum signed by local farmers, demanding the immediate commencement of the flyover bridge project.

Hundreds of men and women participated in the march, including Baijnath Thakur, Surendra Singh, Manti Devi, Lali Devi, Sarita Devi, Kalo Devi, Manju Devi, Sugicha Devi, Ritu Devi, Rupanti Kumari, Muktila Devi, Sunita Devi, Rano Devi, Asha Devi, Malti Devi, Ajmeroon Khatoon, Vinod Oraon, Mahendra Ganjhu, Ravishankar Ganjhu, Raju Sao, Parvez Khan and several others.