Mumbai: The Bombay high court Friday said that it would take up for hearing on March 22 a petition on the issue of the “poor” condition of the foot overbridges in the metropolis.
One of the petitioners Pradeep Bhalekar’s adv-ocate Nitin Satpute appr-oached the high court Friday seeking urgent hearing of the plea a day after the foot overbridge collapse outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
A division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Bharati Dangre agreed to hear the matter on March 22.
Mr Bhalekar had filed the petition in Septem-ber 2017 after a stampede on the congested foot over-bridge at Elphin-stone Road suburban railway station which claimed 31 lives.
In his plea, Mr Bhale-kar sought direction to the authorities to constitute a special committee to conduct a survey of all foot overbridges in the city and carry out repair works if they were found in a dilapidated or dangerous condition.
Last year, after the Andheri foot over-bridge collapse, the high court came down heavily on the BMC for not taking steps to repair bridges in the city. The court said the BMC couldn’t shirk its responsibility, merely by saying that the property belonged to the railway. The court made it clear that if anything affected civic life, the BMC was responsible. The court said that authorities didn’t take steps till the bridge collapsed.
The court also said, “If any untoward incident occurs, the BMC never t-akes action against ward officers or corporators.”
