Mumbai: The demolition of the more than 100-year-old Elphinstone Bridge in Central Mumbai began on Friday night under tight police security. This work, which started on the night of September 12, will continue for a total of 60 days. The demolition has already begun to affect traffic in Mumbai.
The Mumbai Traffic Police have made several changes to the current traffic system. Meanwhile, on Friday night, residents protested because the construction work will affect 19 buildings in the area. However, there were no protests on Saturday, and a curfew has been imposed in the Elphinstone Bridge area. On the first day of the closure, traffic congestion was reported at Currey Road Bridge and Tilak Bridge.
Traffic police were deployed at the Currey Road intersection since Saturday morning, and efforts were underway to manage the flow of vehicles in the wake of the congestion. Commuter Angad Desat said, “In Mumbai, after one bridge, another bridge is demolished, which creates inconvenience for ordinary people. It used to take me only 15 minutes to get to Wadia Hospital from my home, but now it takes more than half an hour due to the closure of Elphinstone Bridge.”
Because of the demolition, the traffic police have rerouted vehicles travelling from east to west and vice versa. Traffic on Currey Road Bridge was one-way and moved slowly throughout the day. Currey Road Bridge remains open for vehicles travelling from Parel East to Prabhadevi and Lower Parel. The bridge was one-way from 7 am to 3 pm and again from 3 pm to 11 pm, while both lanes are open from 11 pm to 7 am. A commuter complained that the one-lane system at Currey Road Bridge is also creating heavy traffic, leaving people stuck in jams. For vehicles going from east to west, those travelling from Dadar East to Dadar West and Dadar Market are using Tilak Bridge.
Vehicles heading toward Parel-Byculla East, Prabhadevi, Worli, Coastal Road, and the Sea Link should use Chinchpokli Bridge. Vaibhav Desai, a resident of Dadar, said, “Because the Elphinstone Bridge has closed, all the pressure has shifted to Tilak Bridge. In the morning, I faced heavy traffic there. I do not know how many years it will take to build the new bridge and for people like us to be free from traffic jams.” Anil Kumbhare, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Mumbai, stated, “The actual traffic situation will be known on Monday, the first working day of the week. On Saturday, there were a few congested spots, but our staff immediately controlled the traffic.”
Vehicles travelling from Prabhadevi and Lower Parel West to Parel, Tata Hospital, and KEM Hospital can use Currey Road from 3pm to 11pm. Vehicles coming from the Coastal Road, Sea Link, and Prabhadevi-Worli to Parel-Byculla East should use Chinchpokli Bridge. However, N. M. Joshi Marg, Senapati Bapat Marg, Mahadev Palav Marg, Sane Guruji Marg, Bhavani Shankar Marg, Rava Bahadur S. K. Bole Marg, and both lanes of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marg have been declared no-parking zones. The Elphinstone Bridge connects Prabhadevi (West) and Parel (East). According to its new design, it will be rebuilt as a double-deck bridge.
On Friday night, residents protested because the construction work will affect 19 buildings in the area. However, there were no protests on Saturday. A curfew has been imposed in the Elphinstone Bridge area until September 20. This decision was taken to ensure that no one is harmed while reconstruction work is underway. A large contingent of police has been deployed. The bridge was closed after the removal of the Parel nameplate. Demolition work started with excavation on both sides of the bridge. Two JCB machines have been brought to the area, and work is progressing rapidly.
Rehabilitation Concerns
At least 370 families from 19 buildings will be affected by the new bridge construction. Residents are demanding rehabilitation in the same area. Two large pillars are planned near Haji Noorani and Laxmi Niwas buildings. Other residents fear that their buildings may also be affected in the future.
Local resident Akshay Sutar said, “The government told us verbally that it would provide houses nearby, but we want this promise in writing. This is almost a three-and-a-half-thousand-square-foot area. We came to know about the bridge closure on September 10 through the media, but the administration did not send us notices. In April, the government promised rehabilitation. Now the government says it will find a solution within seven days.”
Another resident, Shyam Bhosale, stated, “The government is cheating us. People are living here in 430-square-foot homes. Now the government wants to shift us to MHADA or a transit camp far from this area. We do not know how many years we shall have to live there. We want rehabilitation only in the same area.”
A shopkeeper said MLA Kalidas Kolamkar had assured them that the government would resolve the problem within 10 days. “We received the notice a year ago, after which several meetings were held with the MMRDA. Now the administration says only two buildings will be demolished. However, confusion is spreading among all residents of the 19 buildings."
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