BMC inaugurates Jogeshwari bridge, faces criticism for ‘half-done’ work:Hindustan Times

Some work still needs to be done on the bridge, and I have asked SVR Srinivas (additional municipal commissioner) to get this sorted. The Sena leader’s name has been given to this structure and everything named after him needs to be state-of-the-art. UDDHAV THACKERAY, Shiv Sena chief

MUMBAI: A bridge at Jogeshwari to reduce east-west commute t i me was i naugurated on Thursday.

Six years in the making, t he 1.5- km bridge t hat has been named after Shiv Sena leader, the late Bal Thackeray, was inaugurated by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

In his speech after the inauguration, Thackeray asked additional municipal commissioner, SVR Srinivas, to improve the bridge.

“Some work still needs to be done on the bridge, and I have asked Srinivas to get this sorted. The Sena leader’s name has been given to this structure and everything named after him needs to be state-of-the-art,” Uddhav said.

So far, only the first phase of the bridge, costing Rs198-crore, has been completed. It connects SV road and the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, and furt her extensions are being planned, civic officials said.

The BMC plans to extend the overbridge on the west side of Jogeshwari, while one arm will be extended to go over SV Road, crossing Behram Baug.

The extension is expected to cut travel time from 20 minutes to 5 minutes.

The major hurdle in completion of the project was the encroachment on the east of Jogeshwari station.

Civic of f i cials, however, claimed that about 500 residential and 200 commercial settlements have been rehabilitated for the construction of this bridge.

“We are also planning the designs of further extension on the east side going above the eastern express highway and connecting JVLR,” said a civic official, requesting anonymity.

Opposition parties, however, slammed the BMC for inaugurating an incomplete bridge. “The BMC has inaugurated an incomplete bridge and the work is very shoddy. Why was there a need for them to inaugurate it in such haste,” said Devendra Amberkar, Opposition leader in the civic body.