The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has claimed it handed over 24 flyovers in Mumbai and four subways to the BMC for maintenance and repairs, but the civic body has refused to take possession of the bridges unless it is given advertisement and cellular tower rights.
The new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had directed MMRDA and MSRDC to handover the possession of roads and bridges to the BMC. Accordingly, MMRDA handed over the Eastern Express highway (EEH) and Western Express Highway (WEH) while MSRDC handed over the 24 bridges and four subways.
Additional municipal commissioner P Velrasu said, “We have received their letters, but we are not going to take official possession of the flyovers and highways.We are seeking advertisement and cellular tower rights to generate revenue. We are ready to take on the whole responsibility, but we are being given only liabilities.”
Maintaining these roads and bridges requires a large number of funds. The BMC has experience maintaining two-lane internal roads but the EEH and WEH have four five lanes, apart from a service road running along these highways.
So it would be difficult for the BMC to manage the expenses of these highways and bridges. According to Mr Velrasu, both the EEH and WEH are of 90 km-long, with five lanes on each side, resulting in a total road length of around 500km which the BMC will have to maintain.
“So a huge sum is required for the maintenance and we need to generate revenue from these highways and bridges,” he said, adding that advertisement and cellular tower rights will help bear expenses for the maintenance. A letter in this regard has been sentto the state government.
