‘Is BMC waiting for mishap before bridge repair?’

More than two months after it was declared dangerous and closed for public use the foot overbridge FOB connecting Tagore Nagar and Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli continues to pose a serious risk to pedestrians Located across the busy Eastern Express Highway EEH the defunct FOB has neither been repaired nor dismantled leaving residents with little choice but to risk their lives dailyLives at riskldquoThe FOB served as a crucial pedestrian link between Tagore Nagar and Kannamwar Nagar Since its closure the absence of any alternative bridge nearby has forced people to either illegally use the unsafe structure or attempt to cross the highspeed highway on footrdquo said Sanjay Jaiswal a resident of Kannamwar NagarResidents allege this neglect has already resulted in at least two accidents in recent weeks involving pedestrians trying to cross the EEH amid fastmoving traffic ldquoEvery morning and evening we see school children and commuters risking their lives It is only a matter of time before a major tragedy occurs Three days ago two boys crossing the EEH in the evening were hit by a motorist who failed to spot them in the dark Fortunately the biker applied the brakes and so a major accident was averted However all three were quite bruisedrdquo said Manish Dholam who runs a garage near the bridgeCollege students forced to run across the Eastern Express HighwayThere are educational institutions of either side of the bridge thus making it crucial for the students as well ldquoStudents from schools and colleges would use this bridge daily to cross over Now we have to risk our lives while travelling no matter what mdash whether we try to climb the closed bridge from its edges or decide to cross the busy EEHrdquo said Mayur Gavan a college student who would use the bridge daily for the commute between his home and collegeWastage of time moneyldquoThe two FOBs mdash one towards Thane and the other towards Kurla mdash are almost 500700 metres away We have to pay almost Rs 50 for a oneway autorickshaw ride to reach home from college Itrsquos been many months now that the bridge has been shut Saving money and time means risking our lives and keeping safe means wasting Rs 100 and an hour daily despite it being a short commute If we take the bridge I reach my college within 10 minutes on foot But now if I take an autorickshaw considering the traffic it takes at least 2025 minutes each wayrdquo said Parth Dhanavde another college studentMotorists at risk tooAdding to concerns is the fact that the damaged FOB structure still stands over one of Mumbairsquos busiest highways Citizens fear that if not urgently dismantled or repaired parts of the bridge could collapse onto the road below endangering motorists as well ldquoIf the bridge is dangerous and the BMC has clearly mentioned that it cannot be used then why is it taking so long to either repair or dismantle it Lakhs of commuters pass by daily What if the bridge collapses Is the BMC waiting for someone to die before taking necessary actionsrdquo Vikram Sonawane who uses the EEH daily questionedOfficial SpeakAlankar Veer assistant engineer S ward told midday ldquoWe have done our part by closing the bridge We had received multiple complaints about the bridge being dangerous after which our team inspected the spot some six months ago We had noticed that the flooring was damaged severely making it difficult for people to walk Structurally the bridge is strong and wont fall as such However a few months back when the bridges department said it would take up the repair works we closed the bridge This is all that we can do at the ward levelrdquoAccording to Veer S ward officials also recently wrote to the bridges department to start repair work at the earliest ldquoThey responded saying that the tenders have been floated We realise the importance of the bridge and are trying to fasttrack the work as much as we canrdquolsquoCrucial linkrsquoSanjay Jaiswal Kannamwar Nagar residentlsquoThe FOB served as a crucial pedestrian link Now people are forced to either illegally use the unsafe structure or attempt to cross the highspeed highway on footrsquoMayur Gavan college studentlsquoNow we have to risk our lives while travelling no matter what mdash whether we try to climb the closed bridge from its edges or decide to cross the busy EEHrsquoParth Dhanavde college studentlsquoItrsquos been many months now that the bridge has been shut Saving money and time means risking our lives and keeping safe means wasting R100 and an hour dailyrsquoVikram Sonawane commuterlsquoIf the bridge is dangerous and the BMC has clearly mentioned that it cannot be used then why is it taking so long to either repair or dismantle it Lakhs of commuters pass by daily What if the bridge collapsesrsquoLength of bridge100120 feet approxDaily footfall before closure500600 people approx