A day after the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd flyover was unveiled, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the ruling Shiv Sena in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for not naming it after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Earlier, in December, Shiv Sena corporators Vaishali Shewale and Samiksha Sakre had proposed that the flyover should be named after the Maratha emperor. BJP Member of the Parliament (MP) Majoj Kotak had also written to the administration on the same matter. Meanwhile, controversy fumed between the two parties after Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale proposed to name the flyover after a sufi saint.
On July 29, the proposal to name the flyover after Shivaji was cleared by the BMC work’s committee. However, on the cornerstone that has been set up at the inauguration site of the flyover, there is no mention of the emperor’s name. It mentions that the flyover is located at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Marg.
"The chief minister's name is written in bold letters on the cornerstone. However, the name of Shivaji Maharaj is still missing," said Kotak. Prabhakar Shinde, BJP group leader in the civic body, said the proposal to name the bridge after Veermata Jijabai was made by passing a resolution in the corporation. Meanwhile, Swapnil Tembwalkar, chairperson of the BMC work's committee, said that the proposal of naming the flyover is due for approval at the BMC house.
"We have cleared the proposal in our work's committee. From there, it will go to the meeting in the house and the proposal will be cleared. The meeting in the house didn't take place earlier and is due this month," said Tembwalkar.
Another senior BMC official and close aide of Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said, "The name of Shivaji Maharaj is not there on the cornerstone because the name has not been officially approved. The name Veermata Jijabai is there as the junction from where the flyover starts is named after Veermata. Shivaji's name will be put up after the proposal is cleared in house this month," said the official.
The Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Flyover is built on a budget of 400 crore and will cut travel time to 3 minutes from Ghatkopar to Navi Mumbai.
