Updated on: 15th MAY 2023 02:19 PM IST | Mumbai
S S NADAR | news@debotimes.in

More than 100 commuters who participated in the meet were agitated to the extent of going on a “Rasta Roko” dharna at the BMC office but due to the imposition of Section 144 throughout the city, this course of action was avoided

Mumbai: Not convinced that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will stick to its November deadline after missing its June target to rebuild Gokhale Bridge, the fuming commuters who joined the group ‘Gokhale Bridge-ASAP’ held a silent protest meet at Shri Rajasthani Seva Sangh in Andheri East on Sunday.

Gokhale Bridge is a primary east-west link in the western suburbs which was dismantled due to its poor structural health. The commuters are irked by the inordinate delays to reconstruct the bridge.

More than 100 commuters who participated in the meet were agitated to the extent of going on a “Rasta Roko” dharna at the BMC office but due to the imposition of Section 144 throughout the city, this course of action was avoided.

The group comprised mainly those who have residences in Andheri West but offices in Andheri East and another set of people who lived in Andheri East but whose kids attended schools and colleges in Andheri West.

Commuters opined that the pace of work and the lukewarm response of concerned officials who did not attend their meet did not inspire confidence. “We have decided to strongly request the BMC through our guardian minister and elected representatives to clear all blockages in the form of encroachments and potholes on SV Road for smooth flow of traffic during monsoon,” said Dinesh Mehta, one of the organizers of the silent protest.

Dhaval Shah, president, of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens’ Association said, “Our prime concern is that since BMC has postponed the deadline for Gokhale Bridge from May to November, we fear further delays on this project. The rains are three weeks away and the tender for the Andheri subway pumping station is yet to start.”

Shah added that in the absence of a concrete plan, commuters have only two alternatives, ie- the Andheri subway and Captain Vinayak Gore (VG) flyover.

“After Gokhale Bridge was shut down and the Andheri flyover was stopped for traffic during heavy rains, the VG flyover (from Irla to Vile Parle East) remains the only option that cannot handle the traffic load. Hence, we want the subway to have the pumping station at the earliest,” he said.

Shah said hawkers and vehicles occupying the approach roads from the main arterial SV road which connects to the Andheri subway and VG Flyover on the western and eastern sides should be removed.

“For 20 lakh population in four assembly constituencies in east and west, K east is the highest property taxpayer. With such a large density of population paying property taxes they deserve better,” Shah added.

Renu Gupta, a resident of Seven Bungalows had been commuting for years via Gokhale bridge to her office on Grant Road.

“Earlier it used to take me one hour to reach the office via Gokhale Bridge now it takes nearly three hours to commute and it is pathetic. After the hard-earned taxes we pay, what are we getting from this city? I was born here and I cannot migrate to another city and neither can I bear this commute for another four years. It becomes worse during monsoon.”

Gupta said that all the roads on JP Road have been dug up and it takes 40 minutes for a five-minute distance to reach Lokhandwala.

“Imagine the plight we will be in? The BMC wasted four years after the bridge fell down. Now, if we take the Milan subway it is a tedious job because we have to go through SV Road which is dug up and only one lane works. Then if we take the Irla bridge, it is choc-o-bloc. Where do you go? We are caught between the devil and the deep seas.”

Rajendra Gupta, her husband explained the routes- that Vile Parle bridge is a single lane one side bridge and has bottlenecks as it is not designed to take that traffic.

“We can take the Milan subway bridge which is a headache and the Linking road is dug up because of Metro work. We had suggested making the Gokhale Bridge a one-way bridge like Cadell Road as it is a logical solution. We are certain that the November deadline will also not be met as the pillars are not yet erected,” added Gupta.

The aggrieved commuters concluded their meeting by reaching out to elected representatives through their Twitter handles and displayed their undercurrents of anger by protesting on the roads. It was also decided to meet guardian minister MP Lodha to expedite the Gokhale Bridge rebuilding work and to come up with intermediate relief measures.