MMRDA delayed flyover repair: BMC
The high court has asked the civic body to file affidavit on the resurfacing work of the flyover.
Mumbai: The Bombay high court has directed the Brihan-mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file an affidavit with regards to the resurfacing work of the Lalbaug flyover, which had to be completed by February 15. The directions were passed while hearing a petition alleging that the flyover has become dangerous, as pieces of it have started falling off.
A division bench of Justice A.S. Oka and Justice P.N. Deshmukh was hearing a public interest litigation filed by activist Bhagwanji Raiyani through senior advocate Sumedha Rao alleging that the BMC was delaying the work of resurfacing the flyover which it was supposed to complete by mid-February. The petition has alleged that even though the flyover was commissioned in 2011, sub-standard work has resulted in the joints of the flyover becoming corroded, thus posing a threat to the motorists.
Ms Rao informed the court that since January 2017, two to three joints of the flyover had become exposed due to corrosion and a structural audit report by a private company had pointed that the entire construction of the flyover was wrong and there were many technical shortcomings. In an earlier hearing, the court had directed the BMC to file its reply with regards to the delay in resurfacing work and the allegations.
On Thursday, when the matter came up for hearing, the advocate for the corporation said that it had sought 39 clarifications from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the original contractor and two consultants who were involved in the project in November and December 2017 but they had not cooperated and hence it was unable to file its reply.
The Lalbaug flyover started seeing cracks within three years from when it was commissioned and has been undergoing repairs regularly. Shopkeepers near the flyover have pointed out that stones and minor debris keep falling off regularly especially during the monsoon. After hearing all contentions, the court directed the MMRDA to file an affidavit and posted the matter for hearing on February 9.