After facing criticism over the Himalaya foot overbridge (FOB) collapse last week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started demolishing dilapidated foot overbridges (FOBs) and skywalks and repair work on others on a war footing. However, the demolition and reconstruction drive has inconvenienced the pedestrians who are forced to walk on roads, adding to traffic congestion.

Till now, 12 bridges across the city have been shut for repair work and demolition. While the BMC has requested citizens to bear with the inconvenience caused for their safety, city activists have demanded for alternatives routes to ensure minimum inconvenience.

"Two days ago BMC has shut down Bandra skywalk for repair work, forcing people commute from Western Express Highway to Bandra East Station by foot on roads. While encroachments have rampantly claimed pedestrian spaces, walking on busy roads is equally dangerous. The area below the skywalk has become the store house of debris. It is the civic body's responsibility to oversee that the public is not inconvenienced. It should have made alternate routes before starting demolition and repair work," said Godfrey Pimenta an activist from Watchdog Foundation. The civic body has started demolishing 11 bridges without making alternatives for pedestrians, adding to their woes.

Following the mishap on March 14, the civic body had ordered repair and demolition of bridges, found to be in precarious health, alongside the re-inspection of all 344 bridges. However, re-audit of all of Mumbai's bridges would have led to delay in crucial bridge repair work.

Thus, as a precautionary measure, BMC administration sent letters to concerned ward officers on Tuesday, telling them to demolish dilapidated bridges in their wards as soon as possible. It has also asked every enlisted contractor to start repair work immediately. However, this has led to more chaos and traffic jams in the city which is already in the clutches of Monorail and Metro construction.

"We were in process to demolish and rebuilt them. After the March 14 incident, BMC has been forced to take the drive up on a war footing. We are requesting people to bear with us for the sake of their safety," said a BMC officer.

The audit of all 344 bridges in the city was ordered after the collapse of a portion of Gokhale Bridge in Andheri on July 3, 2018. The structural report marked 176 bridges for minor repairs, 47 for major repairs and reconstruction of 14 bridges, of which three have already been demolished. The administration was in the process of tendering demolition and construction contracts of these bridges. Work orders for bridges requiring major and minor repairs have already been issued. However, as a precautionary measure, the BMC ordered ward officers to demolish the remaining 11 bridges along with the Charni Road station old bridge where BMC had started constructing a new bridge.

LISTED FOR DEMOLITION

• Marine Lines FOB (S)  
• Marine Lines FOB (N)  
• Charni Road station FOB  
• Omkareshwar Mandir, Kandivali  
• Barve Nagar, Ghatkopar west FOB  
• Vitthal Mandir, Iraniwadi  
• SVP Road, Kandivali  
• Akurli Road, Kandivali  
• Khairani Rd, Sakinaka  
• Haris Bhugra Marg, SCLR  
• SBI Colony, Dahisar  
• Walibhat nullah, Goregaon