"Clear instructions have been given to complete the work before August 15 so that an inauguration ceremony can be held on Independence Day, but due to political reasons it may not be done on Saturday," said a source.
It's Thackeray versus Fadnavis over the inauguration of a kilometre-long flyover. The ruling allies of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have proved once again that they are competing with each other to grab any credit that is available till the civic elections scheduled for 2017.
After Shiv Sena won the fight against BJP to replace LED lights at Marine Drive, the next round of fight is over the inauguration of a Rail Over Bridge at Jogeshwari connecting SV Road with Western Express Highway over the railway tracks at Jogeshwari Railway Station.
"Clear instructions have been given to complete the work before August 15 so that an inauguration ceremony can be held on Independence Day, but due to political reasons it may not be done on Saturday," said a source.
Another official said that the BJP has been playing politics to get chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as chief guest to inaugurate the bridge on a convenient date. Shiv Sena is also pushing for an inauguration by Uddhav Thackeray.
A week ago, BJP workers stormed the project site and halted the work of giving final touches which was is in full swing for a couple of weeks.
The sufferers in the end are motorists, who continue to crawl in the city's ever increasing traffic snarls often resulting in road rage. "This bridge would be beneficial to residents of Oshiwara and Jogeshwari as it would not only cut down travel time and restrict auto rickshaw costs to Rs18 instead of the present Rs 50. Even the railway crossing at Jogeshwari station has been shut, therefore politicians should stop their fight for the larger public good," said Mansoor Darvesh, a Jogeshwari resident and representing Passenger's and Traffic Relief Association.
This bridge has been under construction since March 16, 2009, and has witnessed repeated deadline revisions right from the initial March, 2011.
When the work began in 2009 only 10 per cent of the land needed for the project was available, while a major portion was encroached and some had legal structures. This resulted in repeated delays to the project.
The approximate cost of the project is around Rs150 crore and has been constructed under the Mumbai Urban Transformation Project – I. It was initially under Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority but was handed over to BMC sometime in 2008.
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