Sanawad (Madhya Pradesh): Railway workers blocked the Indore-Ichhapur highway for eight hours on Wednesday to move a heavy bridge part on Thursday. They used a special crane from Gujarat to lift a 50-quintal girder for the new Omkareshwar railway line.

Western Railway is building a train route to connect Khandwa to Indore. After finishing the railway line from Nimarkhedi to Sanawad, workers are now building Omkareshwar station. Next, they will construct tracks to Barwaha.

Railway officials told the district office about closing the road. They got permission three months ago to move this bridge girder and finally completed the work on Wednesday.

A special telescope crane came from Bharuch, Gujarat. This crane can lift 350 quintals, much more than the 50-quintal girder they needed to move. Bhupendra Singh Saini from the crane company said his workers help with railway projects across different states.

The crane team spent three hours getting ready before lifting and placing the girder. They finished the work by afternoon and opened the road again.

While the main road stayed closed, traffic used other routes. Big vehicles like buses and trucks went through Kothi village. Small cars used the route through Morgarhi village. Police officers from Mandhata station helped direct traffic at both places, said officials.

After 2 pm, traffic started moving again on the highway. Notably, the railway will build a bridge over the Narmada River at Mortakka, which will speed up construction towards Barwaha.