Mumbai: Restrictions on Ganpati festivities on 12 bridges

Last year Sion rail over the bridge was also on this list. Pic/Satej Shinde

For the fifth year in a row, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced restrictions for the 12 railway crossing bridges during the Ganpati procession. The BMC has declared a list of the bridges in anticipation of the huge turnout of people during the Ganeshotsav processions. BMC has appealed to citizens not to dance on these bridges.

In 2019, BMC had first announced restrictions on overcrowding on 13 bridges. According to a BMC official, repair work on some bridges has started, and work on the other bridges will commence soon. "These are not completely dilapidated bridges. But as a precautionary measure, we have appealed to the citizens not to use the sound system on the bridge and stop on the bridge for a long time," the official said.

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"After taking over all the bridges including some on Eastern and Western Express Highways from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), last year we requested the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute to conduct an audit of these structures. The audit has recommended major and minor repairs. The repairing work will start soon," the official said.

Police will be deployed on the bridge during the procession. Along with BMC staff, they will ensure the safety of the bridge," the official added. Last year Sion rail over the bridge was also added to this list. But this year the bridge is closed to traffic as the Railway authority has decided to pull down the old bridge and reconstruct it. Also, the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation has started constructing a new bridge at Dadar as an alternative to the Tilak Bridge.

List of ROBs

On Central Railway: Ghatkopar, Currey Road, Arthur Road, Chinchpokli, Byculla, Sandhurst Road (between Grant Road and Charni Road)

On Western Railway: Marine Lines, French (between Grant Road and Charni Road), Kennedy (between Grant Road and Charney Road), Falkland (between Grant Road and Mumbai Central), Mahalakshmi Station, Prabhadevi-Carroll and Lokmanya Tilak at Dadar.