The foot overbridge (FOB) in Vashi, a portion of which collapsed on April 11, is beyond repair, and it will be dismantled, said Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner N. Ramaswami on Tuesday.
“I was on election duty when the incident occurred. After I came back, I visited the site and found that the bridge was in a very bad condition. It is beyond repair, and will be demolished soon,” Mr. Ramaswami said.
NMMC officials have asked the police to take action against the contractor to whom a work order of ₹56 lakh to repair the bridge was issued on March 8. “There was an audit done in the past, following which the work order was issued. It was the contractor’s duty to put up boards and make sure nobody accesses the bridge. But he failed to do so and hence we have told the police to take action against him,” the Commissioner said.
Following the collapse, the Vashi police registered a case against NMMC officials. “We haven’t yet fixed the responsibility of the incident on any person, and are recording statements. We have recorded the statement of NMMC officials, and are investigating,” Vashi senior police inspector Anil Deshmukh said.
Two Vashi residents identified as Jitendra Subhedar Pal (23) and his cousin Sarvesh Pal (21), both working at Taste of Punjab restaurant in Vashi, were out on a walk around 7.45 p.m. when the FOB collapsed. Jitendra received head injuries and is undergoing treatment at NMMC hospital in Vashi. Sarvesh, who had received severe chest and liver injuries, was shifted to Hiranandani Hospital in Vashi and is still in ICU, but stable, said Dr. Prashant Zawade from NMMC hospital. The NMMC has been bearing all the medical expenses, the victim’s relative, Raju Pal, said.
The bridge inaugurated on May 4, 2000, connects Sagar Vihar in Sector 8 with the Mini Seashore in sector 10A. It was extended to the walking track of the Mini Seashore in 2010. In November 2018, the general body of the NMMC approved its repair work and the work order of ₹56.40 lakh was awarded to Srinivas Engineering.
