The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is not very happy with the conditions laid down by the traffic police to shut four bridges to heavy traffic as recommended by an IIT Bombay report.
The BMC will have to provide traffic wardens at each bridge and set up CCTV cameras, which it claims it does not have. The traffic police have said this is standard procedure.
IIT-B recommendation
After the Gokhale Bridge in Andheri collapsed, the Central Railway (CR) had directed IIT-B to inspect bridges in its jurisdiction. IIT-B recently submitted its report to CR, recommending that the Currey Road, Byculla, Arthur Road and Ghatkopar road overbridges be shut to heavy traffic. The CR approached the BMC to take the necessary steps.
While the BMC and CR will strengthen the bridges and their girders, heavy vehicles of more than 16 tonnes will be restricted from using them. Once the strengthening work is done, the bridges will be monitored for one year, following which further action and the BMC’s role will be decided.
The BMC sought permission from the traffic police for the road closure, which the police granted in a letter on April 18. But it came with riders, such as constructing height barriers, speed breakers and barricades.
The BMC is willing to implement these measures, but seems to be at a loss when asked to provide 20 traffic wardens on each bridge, CCTV cameras with live feed to the traffic police headquarters, and stationing one hydraulic crane on each bridge. The wardens will also have to be provided reflective jackets, batons and cones, and one 500-m rope per bridge.
The traffic police said the measures are required as in other cases, heavy vehicles have continued to ply after breaking height barriers, especially in the early days of road closures.
‘Not area of expertise’
A Bridges Department officer, terming the conditions too stringent, said, “We are not appointing any contractor here. It is the CR that has to undertake work. We are simply assisting them. We don’t know how to arrange for the requisites as this is not our area of expertise.”
The department has submitted a report to the BMC’s higher administration expressing the concerns. To iron out this and other coordination issues, the BMC has called a meeting of all stakeholders, including the traffic police, on Monday.
Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) Amitesh Kumar, meanwhile, said, “This is standard procedure. We had set the same conditions for the MSRDC when closing the Sion flyover. I am not aware of the BMC having concerns about it.”
