As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation plans to close down the Elphinstone Road Overbridge for two years, Dadar residents have come out in opposition of the closure, alleging that the closure will create chaos since it has been announced without any supporting infrastructure. The residents have demanded that the closure should be executed only after supporting infrastructure is ready and also demanded relocation of fish and flower market to reduce traffic load.
The notice regarding the closure of critical Elphinstone Bridge has sparked fear among citizens that it will create challenges for thousands of commuters and residents of Prabhadevi, Elphinstone, Dadar, Parel, and Lower Parel. The residents have asked the civic body to postpone the closure until necessary alternate infrastructure is made available as well as the fish market and flower market in Dadar are removed to ease the additional traffic congestion that is expected after the closure of bridge.
Chakachak Dadar, a social organisation highlighting Dadar’s civic issues, wrote to the BMC and Mumbai Police’ traffic department highlighting concerns about the road closure. The letter written on Monday, alleged that the closure, announced without any alternate route or infrastructure, will aggravate congestion on already overloaded roads like Tilak Bridge and Currey Road Bridge. It warned the traffic department that the lack of coordination seen with the Sion and Dharavi bridge closures should not be repeated here.
It added that there is an urgent need to relocate the flower and fish markets on Senapati Bapat Marg, which causes bottleneck due to its unregulated operations. It said that although the fish market was officially demolished in 2021, it continues to spill onto the road and footpaths, blocking pedestrian and vehicular movement. it also added that the fish market is dominated by illegal vendors, who use the roads as business space, resulting in encroachment, traffic jams, and excessive waste that impedes movement and causes hygiene issues.
The social organisation demanded that the fish markets should be shifted to the newly renovated Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market as per official orders. It claimed that the immediate relocation of both markets outside city limits is essential before the bridge closure.
The residents are also worried about worsening of traffic congestion claiming that around 40,000 vehicles traverse the area daily. With increased load on Tilak and Currey Road bridges, commuters will suffer multi-hour delays. The letter also warned the authorities that the increased traffic congestion will also severely impact emergency services as the road and bridge serve as critical access to major hospitals like KEM and Tata Memorial.
Chakachak Dadar also raised its long standing demand of immediate construction of the DP road connecting Senapati Bapat Marg in Dadar West to Dadasaheb Phalke Road in Dadar East). It also alleged that the proposed new bridge affects around 19 buildings. It demanded that their rehabilitation and resettlement must be completed before demolition to avoid creating further congestion and social stress.
The letter demanded that the authorities should not proceed with the closure until supporting infrastructure is ready and the fish and flower markets are not relocated. It also demanded to start the construction of DP road and ensure emergency response routes are maintained without delay.
Chetan Kamble, founder of Chakachak Dadar, said, “To minimise the disruptions, Elphinstone Bridge should be closed in phase-wise manner with one side at a time. The construction of Sion Bridge and Tilak Bridge should be accelerated to ease diversion pressure. While dedicated traffic marshals should be deputed during peak hours, there should also be strict enforcement against illegal vendors encroaching roads and footpaths.”
