18 November,2023 09:52 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Aaditya Thackeray marching on the bridge with party workers/ X
Former Minister and Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and several other office bearers of the party have been booked by Mumbai Police for illegally inaugurating the Delisle Road Bridge in Mumbai's Lower Parel area, according to an ANI report. The case has been filed based on the complaint of a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) road department at the NM Joshi Police station, the report added.
Reportedly, Thackeray scion and others have been booked under Sections 143, 149, 326, and 447 of the Indian Penal Code. According to Mumbai Police, Aditya Thackeray, accompanied by others, inaugurated the bridge despite it not being fully ready for traffic and lacking permission from the municipal corporation.
Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray defended his move, citing that the public had been suffering due to the delay in the bridge's formal inauguration. He expressed his disappointment in the government's delay in facilitating the necessary infrastructure for public use.
He took to social media, and wrote, "While we waited on the BMC to open the full bridge to people for use, it has been almost 10 days that the other side has been ready and waiting for a VIP to inaugurate it. We inaugurated it last night and today, the BMC under the pressure of Khoke Sarkar has closed it down again, waiting for a govt inauguration, only to trouble the citizens of Mumbai. Why can't it be thrown open for the people instead of waiting for the guardian minister's ego and convenience? Open it!"
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A BMC official, however, told mid-day previously that the final touches of the bridge's second arm is near completion and added, "Once essential finishing tasks such as signal system installation, street light setup, and lane marking are done, all lanes will open to traffic."
The Delisle Road Bridge is a crucial road in Parel that links several areas of the city. It was shut down in 2018 due to safety concerns, and the reconstruction has lingered for over five years, which has impacted traffic flow. In September 2023, only one lane was made available to the public; this lane connects the eastern and western sides of Lower Parel.
With agency inputs
