Mumbai: ‘Superior authority’ puts off Sion bridge closure

This is the third time the closure of the bridge has been postponed. Pic/Ashish Raje

Demolition of the Sion rail over the bridge was postponed for an indefinite time. But now there is the possibility of the bridge closing only after the Lok Sabha election. Dr Swapnil Nila, the spokesperson of the Central Railway (CR), confirmed that the closing of the century-old rail over the bridge was postponed, which was supposed to close on March 28. "Yes, the closing of the bridge was cancelled. The new date has not been decided yet. We received orders from superior authority."

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale said, "Yes, we demand that all authorities should discuss with locals before closing the bridge. The bridge is like the lifeline of the city."

Sources claim the bridge will close after the Lok Sabha poll, which is going to be held on May 20 in Mumbai. Residents of Dharavi are mainly affected by the bridge closure as Dharavi is a key point in the Lok Sabha poll. This is the third time the closure of the bridge has been postponed. The demolition of the bridge was scheduled for January 20, which was later postponed as locals and Shewale intervened. After that, the railway authority decided to close the bridge on February 28. However, it was postponed due to HSC and SSC exams. Later the Railways decided to close this bridge from midnight on March 27.

Sion rail over the bridge is one of the important connectors of Mumbai. The bridge connects LBS road, Dharavi, Bandra to the eastern part of the city. Around 10 thousand bus commuters of BEST are going to be affected after the closure of the bridge. The Railways has decided to pull down the century-old bridge and reconstruct the new bridge to make way for the 5th and 6th railway track. The portion of the structure over the railway premises is around 40 metres long. This will be increased to 51 metres to make way for the new tracks.