Mumbai: BJP MLA Ameet Satam has written a letter to Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, seeking action against engineers of the bridges department who had provided false deadlines for the opening of one arm of the Gokhale bridge. He also questioned their capabilities, alleging that these engineers are only interested in inviting tenders. Satam urged Chahal to at least adhere to the February 2024 deadline.
In his letter, Satam stated, "When the work commenced in December 2022, the first deadline for the opening of the first arm of the Gokhale bridge was set for May 2023. I believe this statement was made without proper consideration." He further said, "We understand the complexities involved in the bridge and empathise with BMC."
Satam's visit with BMC officers and engineers
Moreover, the letter mentioned that during Satam's visit on September 4th with BMC officers and engineers, it was stated that after the removal of structures close to the site, it would take 85 days to open one lane. These structures were cleared on September 6th, 2023, and following the timeline, the lane should be open by November 30th, 2023.
He mentioned that in recent meetings, new facts emerged regarding the lowering of girders by around 7 meters, which has never been done before and is a highly specialized technical job involving risks. It requires railway blocks for 15 days, with 3 hours each day. The new deadline is February 15th. The railways have also agreed to provide necessary blocks for lowering the girders. "If one lane is opened in February 2024, it would be one of the fastest-executed projects of BMC," Satam stated sarcastically.
Satam asked Chahal, "What kind of analysis did the contractor, our officers, and engineers do on September 4th when we committed to an 85-day deadline until November 30th?" He further questioned the commissioner, "Have we recruited qualified engineers in our bridges and engineers department? Why didn't the engineers or the contractor foresee this situation? It was known from the start that the job involved lowering the girder by 7 meters. Weren't they aware of this before the 85-day deadline? Isn't there something called program management and planning? I think our engineers are only interested in issuing one tender after another, reasons for which are known to the city. When it comes to serious jobs, crisis management, program management, and implementation, they fail."
Satam directed Administrator Chahal to hold the engineers accountable for committing to fake deadlines and deceiving the entire city. "Someone has to face the consequences for this," he added. He urged Chahal to adhere to the deadline because citizens have suffered for one year due to the closure of the bridge.
