Mumbai civic body takes engineer off Gokhale bridge project

The unfinished work on Gokhale bridge on Tuesday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has removed an executive engineer from overseeing the Gokhale bridge project due to delays. The assembly of the second girder for the Gokhale bridge in Andheri, Mumbai, is now expected to be finished by the third week of August, with the girder launch slated for October.

The first part of the girder was supposed to reach the bridge site by July 15, while the second part will arrive in the first week of August. The BMC has already decided to impose a fine on the contractor and issued a show-cause notice to the executive engineer responsible for adhering to the timeline. After receiving the explanation, the BMC recently decided to withdraw the charge of the Gokhale bridge project from the executive engineer. "We cannot disclose the name of the engineer as it is an internal decision," the official added.

Abhijit Banger, additional municipal commissioner, confirmed the update. "Yes, we have taken action. The delay was unacceptable. The assembly of the girder will be completed by August 23, 2024. According to our plan, the girder launch will be completed in October for the railway portion," said Banger. "We aim to complete the second arm of the Gokhale bridge by March 2025 and are working to meet the project deadline."

Meanwhile, Dhaval Shah of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen Association said, "The project is already delayed. If the BMC misses this deadline, motorists will face challenges in the next monsoon too. The BMC should keep their word."