Jamshedpur: Residents and people’s representatives on Sunday burnt tyres at the Barigora railway crossing in protest against the railways as no construction has begun three years after the road overbridges (ROBs) for Barigora and Govindpur were announced.Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone for the Govindpur and Barigora ROBs on February 23, 2024. The project was initially planned as a 50:50 joint venture with the state, but the railways said they would fully fund it as the state govt reportedly showed no interest.The protest highlighted daily disruption at the crossing, where frequent gate closures trigger long queues, accidents and gridlock. “Over four lakh people living in Rahargoda, Barigora, Jaduguda, Asanboni, Domjudi, Pursudih and Gadra, among other places, endure hardships due to the frequent closure of the railway gate at the crossing. Furthermore, regular accidents and traffic jams on either side of the crossing compound the people’s woes,” said local resident and zila parishad member Paritosh Singh.Gadra (Northwest) panchayat mukhiya Sunita Nag said, “The gate remains closed for seven to eight hours on a daily basis, causing acute travel problems for commuters, particularly students, the working class, and patients.”The representative of Jugsalai MLA Mangal Kalindi, Mithun Chakraborty, said, “The ROBs are proposed on the Tatanagar-Asanboni stretch of the Howrah-Mumbai railway tracks, where heavy train movement repeatedly traps residents at the crossings.”The railway board issued a notification on Feb 15, 2026, and the Chakradharpur division floated a ₹193 crore tender on April 22, 2026, covering Govindpur, Barigora, and Kherbani.The railways plan T-shaped ROBs to reduce displacement. “There was a technical glitch pertaining to the design. Now that the issue has been addressed, groundwork will begin soon,” said a divisional commercial official.South Eastern Railway (SER) general manager Anil Kumar Jain had earlier said the ROBs are expected to be functional by year-end.
