Mumbai: The BMC will issue a show cause notice to Hiranandani Construction Company (HCC) after a portion of the structure beneath the Jog Flyover in Andheri collapsed on Thursday. A civic official also stated that work to repair the flyover would be expedited. The estimated amount for repair is around Rs. 95 crores.
The flyover, constructed in the 1990s by the state government's Public Works department (PWD). The flyover was constructed under a Build and Operate model, and includes commercial spaces like shops and offices beneath it. It was handed over to the BMC for maintenance along with the Western Express Highway, which was under Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in 2022. "The space below the flyover belongs to HCC, but they could not commence commercial activities in a structure due to ongoing litigation," said a civic sources.
A portion of the structure below it fell on a moving car on Thursday. Fortunately, no injury was reported in the incident. "HCC is responsible for maintaining the structure. They must respond to our notice and provide clarification on the incident. They are liable for repair costs," stated a senior civic official on Friday. "We will expedite the tendering process to repair the flyover promptly," he added.
The BMC had previously proposed repairs and structural strengthening on an urgent basis, but it was delayed due to the code of conduct for the Loksabha election in June. "One lane will be closed for traffic movement to carry out the repair work on the flyover during the daytime. The tendering process will soon be initiated in the next few days. The repair cost for the work is estimated to be around Rs. 95 crores," said a senior civic official.
Meanwhile, the Hiranandani Group said that two decades ago, they had assisted Jog Engineering, which had bagged the contract in raising funds for construction of the flyover. However, due to the company (Jog engineering) being unable to repay the funds, the issue went into litigation. "No progress has been made so far and neither has the space below been commercially exploited in any way. We are hopeful that the matter can be resolved soon," said a company official.“
