Days after mid-day revealed that the surface of the Rs 17,843-crore Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) had started peeling off, it has come to light that a panel installed as a vision barrier along the bridge has possibly gotten damaged or gone missing. It has also been seen that motorists are stopping on the structure to click pictures, increasing chances of accidents. Parking or waiting on the bridge, officially known as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu but commonly referred to as the Atal Setu, is completely restricted, and there are multiple signboards on the bridge warning motorists not to indulge in such activities. 

Motorist’s account

Kunal C, a motorist, told mid-day, “On Sunday, when I was travelling with my friends from Sewri towards Chirle via the Atal Setu, I was shocked to see that at one spot, a vision barrier panel installed on the bridge was missing. There are clear-cut instructions that people should not stop on the bridge, but we saw motorists halting to click pictures.” On January 15, 2024, three days after the MTHL was inaugurated, mid-day highlighted that motorists were stopping on the bridge to click pictures. Following this, the Mumbai Police appealed to the public not to do this.