11 January,2017 07:25 AM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
The civic body has already invited tenders for the Rs 13 crore repair work
The Lalbaug flyover, which starts from Parel and ends at Byculla Zoo, is set to undergo major repair work
It's the city's second largest flyover, but its shoddy construction has not allowed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to earn a good name for itself. Disapproving of the way in which the civic body plans to carry out resurfacing work on the 2.45 km-long Lalbaug flyover, a bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Anuja Prabhudesai of the Bombay High Court has stayed it till February 9. Even though BMC has already invited tenders for the Rs 13 crore work, the court asked it to wait till the structural audit report was ready. According to sources, the HC had already asked the state government and civic bodies to conduct structural audits of bridges and flyovers from time to time for safety of commuters.
Poorly built
This decision came after Bhagwanji Rahiyani filed a PIL through his counsel Sumdeha Rao, claiming that the flyover was poorly built and it needed an overhaul after a structural audit was undertaken. The petition also mentions that the flyover has been showing signs of decay since its construction in the year 2010. Initially, potholes started appearing on the surface, later a concrete block came off and most recently on November 16, a wide gap was spotted on the bridge.
The authorities had claimed that two beams, soldered with rubber and cement, had detached, revealing the broken iron joints. Even the default liability of the contractors had ended three days before the gap was noticed.
Action against MMRDA
Meanwhile, the petitioner has also demanded action against Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority for constructing the flyover with low quality material.
