Mumbai: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) will conduct structural audit of bridges built in Mumbai by the local civic body in the last five years, the Maharashtra government said on Wednesday. The government made the announcement about CAG audit of Mumbai's bridges, which have been in news recently due to faulty work, in the Legislative Council. It also assured the Upper House that modern technology will be used in construction of new bridges in the financial capital, which has seen mishaps involving foot overbridges (FOBs) in the last few years. The latest incident took place in mid-March this year, when a foot overbridge near the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station collapsed, killing six persons.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “We will construct the new bridges with modern technology. We have already started use of modern techniques for inspection of the (existing) bridges.” Minister of State for Urban Development Yogesh Sagar said, “The CAG will look into the construction of bridges in Mumbai. We will fix a timeline of bridges, which were constructed in the last five years, for CAG audit.” Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde raised the issue of condition of bridges in Mumbai through a starred question.
“The commissioner and chief engineer of the BMC are responsible for the collapse of the (CSMT) bridge. There should be stern action against them,” Munde demanded.
Responding to him, Fadnavis said, “Action will be initiated only after someone is found guilty of dereliction of duty.” Along with the Indian Railways, MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) and BMC have carried out inspections of the bridges in their respective jurisdiction, the chief minister maintained.
