A researcher expressed his gratitude to the Railways for this as a step in the right direction as these bridges have been a part of the city for more than a generation and have witnessed its growth
The plaque on the bridge’s iron railing
In a doff of the hat to history, Central Railway will be saving heritage plaques on the Elphinstone bridge that is soon to be demolished. Two century-old plaques dating 1913 and 1911 are embedded on the bridge, one in stone and the other on the iron parts.
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A researcher expressed his gratitude to the Railways for this as a step in the right direction as these bridges have been a part of the city for more than a generation and have witnessed its growth.
While the stone plaque reads GIPR, Parel Bridge, 1913, Contractor Bomanji Rustomji, the small metal seals on the girders state—, ‘P&W Maclellan Limited Clutha Works GIPR Glasgow 1911, where GIPR stands for the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, now called Central railway, that ran the first train between Bombay and Thana.
The authorities are now about to demolish the existing old bridge. It is being replaced by a two-deck bridge with the lower deck retaining the east-west connectivity and the upper deck connecting it to the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu.
This paper has run a number of news reports about the proposed demolition and how this is going to affect commuters. While a definite demolition date is yet to be decided by authorities it is expected any time now.
While that is of immediate concern to the people it is heartening that history is being preserved. One should see similar respect for all monuments and milestones when infrastructure work is on. This is also part of our megapolis and should be preserved till work is over and can be installed back at the site or the most suitable place. Experts must be roped in so that it is preserved in a proper way. Let us not brush off or shrug off these markers of our past, they are a vital, aesthetic and intellectual part of our landscape.
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