After five years, the Delisle flyover bridge has finally been fully opened for vehicular movement on Thursday evening. Guardian Minister of the City, Deepak Kesarkar, and Guardian Minister of Suburbs, Deepak Kesarkar, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the bridge. Despite previous controversies surrounding the bridge's opening, a new debate has emerged. Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has urged the renaming of the bridge after an Indian personality.
Proposal to rename bridge
While addressing the inauguration ceremony, Lodha expressed that since the Delisle bridge bears the name of a foreign individual, it would be more appropriate to rename it after an Indian personality. Additionally, he proposed the implementation of arrangements for pedestrians to walk on the bridge until the escalator work is completed. Lodha emphasized that this bridge will facilitate smooth travel for citizens heading to south Mumbai, offering a convenient option.
Ashish Shelar, Mumbai BJP president, took a dig at UBT Shivsena, stating that some parties purposefully politicize the delay of the project. He alleged that these parties wanted people to face inconvenience so that they would turn to them for solutions. Shelar cited an incident when Shivsena MP Arvind Sawant had opposed the construction of a foot over bridge at Prabhadevi by the Army.
Sunil Shinde's presence raise eyebrows
Another controversy that raised eyebrows during the ceremony was the presence of local MLC Sunil Shinde, who is in UBT Shiv Sena, during the inauguration ceremony. Sunil Shinde was present with Aditya Thackeray when Aaditya inaugurated the bridge last week. Shinde's name is also in the police complaint in which Aaditya Thackeray, Sachin Ahir, and Kishori Pedenkar are accused. During the ceremony, Asish Shelar said that the name of Sunil Shinde should be removed from the police complaint.
In August 2023, BMC completed the work of girder launching for the Delisle bridge. Subsequent tasks, including mastic application, ramp construction, concretization, installation of street lights, and installation of signals, were undertaken and completed.
Case against Aaditya Thackeray
Last week, a case was registered against Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray for opening the Delisle bridge without the permission of BMC. On Tuesday, Aditya Thackeray tweeted photos of the Delisle bridge and Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), demanding their opening and questioning whose ego was keeping these bridges closed.
In 2018, the Delisle bridge was closed for vehicles. Originally scheduled to open in 2022, the project faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There was significant public demand to complete the bridge and open it on time. The absence of the bridge led to people facing traffic jams in the area.
Timeline of the bridge
- After the report from IIT Bombay, this bridge was closed by the railways in the year 2018.
- In February 2019, the entire bridge was demolished.
- In September 2019, work had begun in Railway premises.
- In February 2020, BMC had begun its work within its jurisdiction.
- In June 2022, railways had launched its first girder.
- In October 2022, the railway had launched a second girder.
