Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai police have decided to write a letter to the superintendent engineer, Public Works Department (PWD), requesting not to take up work on the road without prior permission and discussions with them.
A foot overbridge (FOB) at old Octroi naka near Mankhurd collapsed around 3.30 p.m. on Sunday after a crane that was being used to dismantle it toppled over. As a result, there was a traffic snarl between the naka and Vashi Center One mall on the Sion-Panvel highway, which was cleared at 11.30 a.m. on Monday.
Sunil Lokhande, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, said following the Pune incident wherein a hoarding collapsed onto the road, killing two, the Mumbai Police asked the PWD to remove the partially-broken FOB.
“The PWD took up the work without informing us. We could have made arrangements for a traffic diversion, released press note, put up barricades, and made sure there was a smooth flow of traffic and people were not inconvenienced,” Mr. Lokhande said.
The PWD informed the traffic police around 12.30 p.m. on Sunday that the road needed to be blocked for removing the FOB which would take close to an hour, and started the work by 12.45 p.m.
The FOB was partially damaged around a year ago after a heavy vehicle rammed into it.
A traffic official said, “It was not the work of a single crane. If it was discussed with us, we would have told them that they would need more cranes. The department did not even have any back-up cranes. Being a Sunday, it became difficult to get cranes.”
Around 22 staff and five officers from the traffic department worked for 20 hours to manage the movement of vehicles. “The common man didn’t know whose fault it was. All were shouting at us,” the official said.
The traffic police are also checking the possibility of levying charges on the PWD. “During a demolition drive, when we provide our staff to the CIDCO or the NMMC, we do charge them,” the official said.