Ganpati celebrations: BMC announces restrictions on these 12 bridges in Mumbai. Check details here
Officials stated that police will be deployed on the bridge during the procession. Along with BMC staff, they will ensure the safety of the bridge.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced restrictions for the 12 railway crossing bridges during the Ganpati procession for the fifth year in a row. In anticipation of the huge turnout of people during the Ganeshotsav, the civic body released a list and appealed to citizens not to dance on these 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.
Officials stated that police will be deployed on the bridge during the procession. Along with BMC staff, they will ensure the safety of the bridge.
Last year, the civic body had requested the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) to conduct an audit of these structures after taking over all the bridges on eastern and western express highways from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The audit has recommended major and minor repairs. The repair work will start soon.
List of ROBs
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.
Central Railway: Ghatkopar, Currey Road, Arthur Road, Chinchpokli, Byculla, Sandhurst Road (between Grant Road and Charni Road)
It is pertinent to note that in 2019, BMC had first announced restrictions on overcrowding on 13 bridges.
Sion rail over the bridge was also added to this list in 2023. 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.