Mumbaikars have a tough two to three years ahead of them as authorities consider shutting down more Road Overbridges (ROBs) and Foot Overbridges (FOBs) to repair or rebuild them. The city is already choked by the serpentine snarls caused by Metro works, and now train commute runs the risk of death by an Elphinstone Station-like stampede.
Chaos ensued on Tuesday morning as rush hour commuters and pedestrians jostled to cross from east to west as Delisle Bridge was closed to motorists and pedestrians.
BMC, Railways and IIT Bombay — whose teams are inspecting all ROBs in the city — have identified five dangerous ROBs on Western Railways (WR) which may need to be shut temporarily for repairs or demolished to be rebuilt completely.
These include Ferere ROB in Grant Road, Belasis ROB at Mumbai Central, Tilak ROB at Dadar, Carol ROB at Prabhadevi and one more at Mahalaxmi."We are trying to stagger the time period for carrying out repair work or demolishing these bridges," said a senior railway official "There is no doubt that in the next two and three years will bring difficult times for the people of Mumbai as chances are that one or many bridges will be closed simultaneously."
To make matter worse, despite announcing a few weeks ago that they will prioritise repairs and not paperwork, BMC and Railways are fighting over who will rebuild these ROBs. Two separate teams groups are involved – officials from Railways, BMC and IIT-Bombay, and other an internal one.
