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ShareMumbai: The historic Bandra-Worli Sealink was inaugurated on Wednesday, July 1. The opening was delayed by a few hours and led to a major traffic jam. But despite all this Mumbaikars anxiously waited to drive down the first ever sealink in India. DNA speaks to those Mumbaikars who got the first feel...
Sidharth Bhatia, Edit page, Editor, DNA
Every city needs a landmark, something that speaks about what the city stands for. San Francisco has the magnificent Golden Gate bridge, Sydney the Opera House, and as for New York, it is full of great signature buildings. Till today, the visual shorthand for Mumbai was either the Gateway of India or Marine Drive. Both are wonderful and symbolise much about Mumbai-the first is a welcoming arch that shows the city is open to all people and ideas; the second is a sweeping vista that reminds us of the city's symbiotic relationship with the sea.
But let's face it; both are relics of a time gone by. The Gateway was built to welcome a British king to India at the peak of Britain's colonial powers, while Marine Drive was for the elite of the times, also in the pre-independence days. Both therefore are of if not for the Raj. In the post-independence era, Mumbai's rulers and builders have failed to erect a single memorable structure that we can be proud of. Indeed, there is barely any private building that stands out for its architectural beauty; instead what we have is a hotch-potch of styles that can be best described as nondescript, even ugly.
Now, finally Mumbai has a structure that we can be proud of. The sealink will of course ease the movement of traffic between Bandra and Worli, but it is also a thing of beauty, an engineering marvel constructed by Indian builders. It is a multinational effort, in that consultants and equipment were brought in from all over the world, but that should not matter. The costs went up horrendously and successive governments showed scant urgency. Other countries have built such structures much more efficiently. But in the end what the city has got is an icon that is futuristic and modern, not a hangover of times long gone. Whenever anyone wants to show Mumbai, they will merely put a picture of the sealink.
There was enough evidence on Wednesday morning that Mumbaikars were excited and curious about the sealink. The roads leading to the bridge were packed with cars, an ironical situation considering that the link is supposed to ease traffic congestion. I was among the thousands of citizens who had set out all excited to cross it. Some months ago I had driven on it, but not till Worli because the last slab hadn't been installed. Now I wanted to experience the real thing. But the long line was very discouraging and I turned back to come to Mahim causeway and got a pleasant surprise. The road was empty and the drive to Mahim was a breeze! The sealink is already proving useful.
Anil Joseph, Civic Affairs Chairperson, Khar Residential Association
The Bandra-Worli sea link is a great infrastructural boon for Mumbaikars. But if we are looking only at the aspect of easy traffic at Bandra then it is not possible right now. This is because, under the development plan of Bandra reclamation five to six other roads also need to be started which are now encroached by the some construction work. So once the vehicles are out of the sea link bridge towards Bandra, it will lead to bottle neck traffic. Moreover there are not enough traffic constables who can control the traffic on roads like Carmel road, Rebello road, near Lilavati hospital and Chapel road.
Today I visited the Bandra - Worli Sea Link where I ended up spending 20 minutes only for paying the toll charge. The number of traffic police was adequate there but it will be worrisome situation once we get out of the bridge towards Bandra.
Aarti Chabbaria, Actor
I feel the name Bandra-Worli Sea link sounds better as it gives proper identity to the bridge. The bridge connects Bandra and Worli so if we address it as that itself. At the same time, if the political leaders decide to name it after Rajiv Gandhi then it must be for some reason and after giving it a lot of thought. We should just enjoy the marvellous creation and be proud of it rather than get in to the controversy about naming the sea link."
Piyush Pandey, Ad guru
I have seen Bandra-Worli Sealink being constructed brick by brick. This is a wonderful gift for Mumbaikars and will be of immense help for the commuters, as it will help reducing their travel time. It's appropriate to name the sea link after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. However naming this bridge on our former Prime Minister has created some controversies but such controversies are natural in a largest democratic country like us."
Nitin Dosa, Executive Chairman, WIAA
This is a big thing for Mumbaikars and all Indians as well. This bridge will be a symbol of pride when we travel on it. It will not only reduce our travelling time, but will also be a pleasurable ride to travel on this Bandra-Worli sea link. The bridge is beautiful and the view while travelling in an open car will be great experience. It will be a great difficulty for the traffic authority for few days to control huge vehicle rush. This is because people can't resist themselves having the experience of travelling on the sea link. For the daily commuters it's an advantage because henceforth this bridge will save their expensive time.
Even if the cost of monthly pass will be Rs 2500 per month or Rs 50 per trip for travelling but it is nothing in comparison what we are getting in return. So I think it's worth the money that we will spend. I don't think commuters will be resistant to spend on the high toll charges.
