The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started the reconstruction of the Himalaya Bridge. This comes over two years after the bridge near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) collapsed. The incident left seven dead and more than 30 injured.
The dilapidated staircase at the site was demolished recently while the region has been barricaded. The reconstruction is expected to take another 15 months with exemptions for the monsoon. The project will cost ₹6.4 crores.
Read - BMC Issues Proposal For Himalaya Bridge Reconstruction
In a related development, the Anjuman-I-Islam Institute has asked the BMC to protect their “right of way” while reconstructing the bridge. While one end of the bridge is situated near CSMT, the other portion ends near the institute’s gates.
A representative from the Anjuman-I-Islam Institute, Mudassar Patel said that their requests were placed before the BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner. “The institute has close to 7,000 students and one gate is not enough. We, therefore, requested them to try and ensure that our right of way is not affected in any manner during reconstruction,” Patel was quoted as saying.
Local activist Kamlakar R Shenoy said the administration took too long to begin reconstruction. “Debate over the landing has kept delaying the project. Being a central bridge, work on its reconstruction should have been completed on priority,” he said.
Speaking to TOI, Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velrasu said, “The institute has made a representation, but then we are considering minor modifications only like moving the landing a little ahead on the same footpath.”
Reports suggest that the railways recommended the addition of escalators on either side of the bridge. However, the request was not well received given the future maintenance required for such an undertaking.
Also read - More Than 18 Months After Its Collapse, BMC Issues Tender For Reconstruction Of Himalaya Bridge