01 July,2009 11:09 AM IST | | Kranti Vibhute
Chaos and confusion prevail as the opening of the bandra-worli sea link gets postponed from midnight to 7 am
AT the stroke of the midnight hour, hundreds of Mumbaikars gathered at the entry points of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, wishing to be among the first to cross Mumbai's latest landmark.
However, they were in for a rude shock, as authorities postponed the opening of the BWSL from midnight till 7 am.
Several of them parked their vehicles, waiting to be the first to experience the thrill of driving across the Sea Link.
As the clock struck midnight, scores of Mumbaikars excited about cruising across the much-awaited Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) gathered at the entry points at Bandra and Worli.
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However, they were disappointed, as authorities delayed the opening of the BWSL till 7 am.
Malad resident Jagdish Panchal had turned up as early as 10 pm, but got stuck in the traffic.
"I came here with my family, but got stuck in the traffic for nearly two hours. I didn't know about this changed timing. I will kill time waiting for it to open at 7 am," said Panchal.
Aziz Daredia, a resident of Bandra, said, "If the timings were changed, the police should have stopped vehicles with barricades and put up notice boards. It would have avoided this mess."
Same queries
It wasn't a cakewalk for the police manning the Sea Link either. Officers on duty were exhausted having to answer the same questions repeatedly.
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M D Avhad, senior police inspector of D N Nagar police station, said, "I am tired of answering the same question to the crowd. The timings have changed due to some technical work."
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Motorists were also irritated at the lack of media awareness about the change in timings.
Several TV channels were still showing the time of the opening as midnight. That added to the chaos and confusion at the city's latest architectural icon.
