Since June this year, the Bandra skywalk that connects Bandra court to the station located near Anant Kanekar Marg has been closed. Now, adding to the woes of commuters, the road below the skywalk has been blocked by the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) for apparent nullah-widening work.
As a consequence, this has also hindered the routes of BEST buses in the area, forcing commuters to walk the long stretch instead. BEST buses 303, 310, 316, and 317 are now reportedly stopping at Bandra bus depot instead of Bandra station.
Officials claim that the skywalk was closed back in June following an inspection revealed its dilapidating condition. Following this, the BMC reportedly asked experts from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) to study the condition of the bridge and perform an audit. However, the BMC claims that the audit was yet to be submitted after four months of the original request.
Local activist Deepak Anaokar is pursuing the matter with the BMC, urging the authorities to conduct an audit on their own. “We were told the skywalk will be reopened after the audit report. But it has been over four months now and the skywalk is still shut. Instead of asking the VJTI, the BMC must get the audit done on its own,” Anaokar said.
Meanwhile, a civic official from the bridges department said “The audit is considered necessary as skywalks are similar to bridges and in a couple of instances, structural defects have been identified. The audits are almost done and we are expecting the audit reports in a couple of days.”
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