South Mumbai: P D'Mello Road bridge to be torn down this week

The foot overbridge to Yellow Gate at P D'Mello Road near Carnac Bunder will be pulled down this week for a revamp.

The bridge was declared dangerous last year but could not be demolished owing to confusion over its ownership. But the decks have been cleared now. The civic B ward will demolish it as it has received a no-objection certificate from the BMC's bridge department.

The FOB has been in a rundown state for a long time. On July 5, slum dwellers had called up police control room to inform them that concrete slabs were falling off the FOB.

After the call, engineers from B ward and the fire brigade visited the bridge and closed it to pedestrians, but motorists were still at risk from bits of the bridge falling down on them. "P D'Mello Road is one of the busiest in south Mumbai, with vehicles from Eastern Freeway landing here," said an official from B ward. 

Initially it was not clear which agency had constructed it. The BMC thought it was Mumbai Port Trust and had written to them in October 2017. But the Trust said it was the BMC's.

Vivek Rahi, assistant commissioner, B ward, said the procedure to twear down teh bridge has been completed and it will be this week.