BMC Chief Chahal must go: Aaditya Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has demanded the suspension of civic chief I S Chahal and the equivalent officer in the railways over the alleged goof-up of Gokhale bridge. In a letter to Governor Ramesh Bais, Aaditya mentioned that despite the election commission's order, the CM hasn't changed the BMC commissioner.

The issue of Gokhale bridge still hangs in the air as the BMC awaits the VJTI report on the bridge's alignment with Barfiwala flyover in Andheri West. Gokhale bridge, a crucial link in the suburb, opened in the last week of January, but commuters found it disconnected from the flyover leading to Juhu.

In the letter, Aaditya mentioned that the reconstruction of Gokhale bridge by the BMC and the railways is a national shame, with news of this failure reaching global audiences. Yet, both agencies continue to play the blame game. He further requested suspension orders for Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal and the equivalent railways officer involved in the project, so they face a fair inquiry for not only botching up the project but also wasting crores of taxpayer money shamelessly.

He said Gokhale bridge is a prime example of the politician-officer-contractor nexus, where the local MLA visited the bridge multiple times with officers. Did they not see the fault during these visits, or was the fault intentionally created to justify its reconstruction?

He wrote that BMC's municipal commissioner is long overdue for a transfer, and yet, even after the election commission's orders, the unconstitutional CM takes ECI for granted and doesn't change the commissioner.