The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Saturday declared via tweet that it will not allow external agencies from constructing any structures along the Highways. The authority looks after the city's eastern and western express highways (EEH and WEH). The decision has come in the backdrop of the incident after a structure built by the MHADA collapsed on WEH near Pushpa Park Junction at Malad East Area on Saturday. The structure was built in 2011 as a staircase connecting the WEH, informed the MMRDA.
While it tweeted, "Owing to this unfortunate incident, MMRDA Chief, R. A. Rajeev has directed all engineers to conduct structural audit of FOB's & similar structures on Highways. Furthermore, MMRDA will not be permitting any external entity to build structures on Highways."
Reportedly, the MMRDA previous year in May had decided to not allow hoardings, advertisements and remove roofs on the Highway FOBs as preventive measure to avoid fatal accidents. There are about 21 FOBs on the two highways. The move was made in a bid to lighten the load on these bridges following several bridge collapse incident reported in the city including the Himalayan FOB crash outside CSMT on March 14, 2019 that claimed seven lives.
