The move to construct the bridge comes after IIT-B had spared about 10,000 square meters of land for widening the Jogeshwari-Wikhroli Link Road (JVLR).
It could be termed as a payback gesture by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) towards the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B). The authority will construct a motorable bridge connecting the southern and northern sides of the IIT-B campus. The bridge, which will be 35 meter long and 12 meter wide, will also extend the IIT-B area by another hundred acres.
The move to construct the bridge comes after IIT-B had spared about 10,000 square meters of land for widening the Jogeshwari-Wikhroli Link Road (JVLR). The road widening under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) was carried out by MMRDA and in return the authority agreed to construct the bridge in the IIT-B campus.
The bridge will help facilitate IIT-B’s expansion plans and the premier institute will have connectivity between the northern and southern side of its campus for the first time since its inception in 1960 at Powai. The campus is at present divided by the water pipelines, which provide water to the city from Powai, Vihar and Vaitarna lakes. While the southern side of the campus is used for academic activities, the northern side is being encroached.
IIT-B had initially refused to give land to MMRDA but later agreed after intervention by the World Bank and other government agencies.
According to IIT director Devang Khakhar, the institute has expansion plans and the bridge will allow them access to land, which they till have haven’t been able to completely utilise.
“We could not access a big portion of land in our own possession because of the huge waterlines. We intend to introduce new academic institutes, hostels for students and other faculties on the land,” Khakhar said.
Even officials in MMRDA were happy to return back a favour to IIT-B. “I am happy that the MMRDA is playing some role in helping an educational institution as reputed as IIT-B,” MMRDA additional metropolitan commissioner SVR Srinivas said. Srinivas performed the bhoomipujan, on Wednesday, for the bridge that is expected to cost Rs2.65 crore and will be completed in 9 months.
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