Mumbai: Mumbaikars doubt that the BMC would be able to keep its promise of completing the new Gokhale bridge by September 2023. Social activists on Monday visited civic officials to drill home the need for good planning. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), meanwhile, protested against the civic body’s “monumental incompetence” and the traffic chaos that has resulted owing to the bridge’s closure.
The Free Press Journal has reported the massive traffic chaos in Andheri after the closure. It takes almost two hours to traverse the stretch between Vile Parle and Jogeshwari and over 45 minutes to go from Andheri East to West and vice versa, commuters have been complaining.
After a public outcry, the BMC has assured citizens of completion of work within 19 months. To avoid any inconvenience, the BMC will consult the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT) and Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technology (VJTI) over which routes can be opened for pedestrians and light vehicles.
Based on past experience, residents and activists are, however, not ready to believe in the civic body’s promise this time. A few of them, in fact, have formed an action group to keep an eye on the ongoing work. The members of the group – Zoru Bhathena and Dhaval Shah, founder of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens’ Association – met Deputy Municipal Commissioner (infrastructure) Ulhas Mahale on Monday afternoon.
Mr Bhathena said, “We were told that VJTI has suggested some remedial measures to keep the bridge partly open. These suggestions will be reconfirmed by IIT, which will conduct its own structural tests before coming to any conclusion which may take some weeks.”
APP-Mumbai President Preeti Sharma Menon said, “This mess is not an isolated incident. Similar conditions prevail at Srikrishna Bridge in Dahisar, Kora Kendra Bridge in Borivali and JVLR Bridge extension towards Andheri and Lokhandwala, poorly planned arm of the Santacruz Chembur Link Road and Mankhurd-Ghatkopar flyover.”
Ms Menon alleged, “The BJP- Shiv Sena’s corruption along with the BMC’s incompetence are clearly responsible.” A civic official responded by saying that the work was not deliberately delayed. “We are working hard to complete the bridge on time to avoid public inconvenience,” the official said.
