Three foot overbridges (FOBs) at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road and Ambivli, built by the Army in the aftermath of the Elphinstone Road stampede in September last year, were opened to the public on Tuesday by a dabbawala and a member of the Koli community.
Army praised
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were also present for the inauguration. The bridges were built at a cost of ₹18 crore.
Speaking to the media after the inauguration, Mr. Fadnavis said, “I would like to thank and congratulate the Army on this feat. I would also like to thank the Railway Ministry for allocating ₹40,000 crore for the Mumbai suburban railway. Today is an example of our continued efforts to alleviate the issues faced by people of the city through increased passenger amenities.”
Mr. Goyal said the decision to enlist the Army’s help had achieved the necessary results. “The Army has done us proud. It has had a domino effect on the Railways, which has built 17 bridges in the past three months on the Mumbai suburban section. They will complete 22 more by June and 56 more in the next 12 months,” he said.
The Railway Minister said he had asked officers from all 17 zones to see the work being done by the Army. “Indian Railways is going to metamorphise into the finest railways of the world, of which we can all be proud of,” he said.
Before heading to Parel for the inauguration of the bridges, the Chief Minister handed over the land documents for the High Speed Rail Terminal at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to the Railway Minister. “Officials from Japan have said the rail corridor will be ready by 2023, however we are aiming to finish it by August 15, 2022, for our 75th Independence Day,” Mr. Goyal said.
Mr. Fadnavis and Mr. Goyal then travelled to Parel by the 3.16 p.m. slow local headed for Kalyan.
Challenges
Brig. Dhiraj Mohan of the Bombay Engineering Group and Centre, or the Bombay Sappers, who were tasked with building the three bridges, highlighted the series of challenges faced during construction.
“This is the first time we have built a bridge in such conditions, and we have completed the task in record time by adapting military equipment for civil use,” Brig. Mohan said.
