Mumbai: Is G20 meet taking a toll on Gokhale bridge work?

Gokhale bridge, which connects Andheri east and west, had been declared unsafe. File pic

The BMC is yet to issue a work order for the reconstruction of Gokhale bridge, which has been shut for the past one and half months. While the Western Railway (WR) opened the tender and finalised the contract for the demolition of the bridge within three days, the civic body hasn't finalised the contractor even two weeks after the tender for its reconstruction was opened. There are speculations that top officials don't have time to clear the proposal as they are busy ahead of the G20 meet that is being held in the city between December 13 and 16.

Gokhale bridge has been shut since November 7 after the BMC found it unsafe and decided to reconstruct it. The civic body floated a R84 crore tender for the reconstruction of the portion of the bridge above the Andheri station railway tracks on November 12.

They opened tenders on November 30 and A B Infrabuild Limited submitted the lowest bid, Rs 74.5 crore. BMC officials also stated that they would finalise the contractor and issue the work order within two weeks. "We will issue the work order this week," said civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal.

Also Read: Gokhale bridge closure: Hawkers tamed

Due to the G20 meet, the BMC has been putting a lot of effort into covering slum patches, beautifying median dividers on the Western Express Highway and installing welcoming boards for delegates. The BMC has smoothened roads outside the international airport and in south Mumbai.

P Velarasu, additional municipal commissioner, dismissed the notion that the process of issuing work orders has been affected by the meeting. "There is no delay. The proposal reached the municipal commissioner. It is expected to be cleared in a day or two. The work order will be issued soon," he said.

Meanwhile, Western Railway opened, then granted the tender for the old bridge's demolition within 24 hours. A special, limited tender of R11.46 crore for the demolition work was opened on December 2 and was finalised on December 3. The groundwork to bring down the dilapidated structure was laid on December 5. The demolition work will be completed within the next three months.

Dhaval Shah, founder, Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association, said that being a governing body, the BMC must give preference to the construction of the Gokhale bridge. "Welcoming G20 is a good thing but the corporation should not neglect basic infrastructure work. If the work order hasn't been issued yet, they should do it now without wasting any time. The work has to be done on a war footing," he said.

Though the reconstruction work will start after three months, the contractor needs time to start the process to make girders and other parts. "We have informed the contractor verbally and the process of reconstruction will not be affected," said an official from the bridges department.

The civic body decided not to open the bridge to the public, even for light vehicles, as the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute and IIT-Bombay presented different opinions in their respective reports. The BMC has promised that it will complete two lanes by June 2023.

07
Day in November when Gokhale bridge was shut