The Mumbaikars have still not emerged from the astonishment caused by the misalignment between Gokhale bridge and Barfiwala flyover, and the city has a new engineering plight ready to leave people in hilarity. A pier of the under-construction Tilak bridge in Dadar has been constructed so close to a building that the residents fear that the actual bridge will pass through their home.
As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation left the people in shock when they left a two metre gap between the Gokhale bridge and the Barfiwala flyover, the latest shock for the people is from the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation which has set up a pier of the under-construction Tilak bridge in Dadar a mere two inches away from a residential cum commercial building.
The MRIDC is rebuilding the British era Tilak bridge, which connects Dadar (East) and Dadar (West) crossing above the railway tracks, by replacing it with a cable-stayed bridge. Currently as the original bridge remains functional, the corporation has been building another bridge parallel to the old bridge and has completed setting up columns through the way. However, one of the piers has been constructed so close to Vishnu Niwas, an 88-year-old building in Dadar (West), that its span reaches just two inches away from the building’s wall.
Landlord Raises Concerns Over Tilak Bridge Pier Proximity, Lack Of Communication
The building’s landlord Hrishikesh Dhurie told the Free Press Journal that he had written to the BMC and MRIDC when a pier was being built close to the back end of the building. However, even after the complaint, the corporation has built another pier at the front end of the building.
“There was no intimation by the authorities before they started with the work. Whoever has designed this bridge has absolutely overlooked our building. The BMC says that the column will not disturb us but its span is less than three inches from us. I am even worried we will face problems during redevelopment and receiving the floor space index,” said Dhurie.
The commercial cum residential tenament has around seven residents including senior citizens, who have been bearing the noise pollution for two years and worry about the situation once the bridge is functional.
Residents Express Distress Over Tilak Bridge Construction Issues
60-year-old resident Rajiv Prabhu said, “My mother passed away some time back but she faced a lot of issues due to the construction work of the bridge. The construction noise was very loud and when they used to drill, the building vibrated in a manner that we thought it would fall down. My mother spent countless nights without sleep due to this.”
Jawahar Mahale, another resident of the building, who lives with his 97-years-old father, expressed his concerns regarding the pier at the back end of the building. “The pier is constructed at an angle that makes it looks like the bridge is going to pass through our home. Although the authorities are saying that it will just touch the building, how is that okay? They should instead occupy the building and give us space somewhere else or compensate us for the space as living like this will not be possible,” said Mahale.
