01 August,2024 09:00 PM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
File Photo
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already missed the deadline to open an arch bridge connecting the coastal road to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link by the end of July. In response to an RTI activist, it was also revealed that the BMC has extended the deadline for one of the contractors until May 2025.
The northbound and southbound roads of the coastal road from Nariman Point to Worli have already begun, but the work on connectors has been delayed due to the rainy season. Although the BMC assured that they will complete the entire road once they get a dry spell, the corporation also informed an RTI activist that it has extended a contractor's deadline by 181 extra days, making the new deadline May 2025.
RTI activist Anil Galgali sought information from the BMC regarding the original completion date and the current status of the Coastal Road Project. The BMC informed him that the original completion date for the project, divided into four parts, was October 2022. This deadline has been extended three times: to May 2023, November 2023, and April 2024, with some work extended up to October 2024. To date, 91 percent of the work has been completed, and the project is in its final stage.
One of the contractors sent a letter on July 23, 2024, seeking a 181-day extension, citing eight reasons.
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According to Anil Galgali, the work will not be completed until 2025. He advised that the state government should not rush to inaugurate the project due to the upcoming elections and should wait until the work is 100 per cent complete.
Bhushan Gagrani, the Municipal Commissioner of the BMC, told Mid-Day that the extension applies to work related to amenities such as parking zones, not the actual pathways. He stated that the asphalt work on the arch bridges will be completed soon once there is a dry spell, after which the bridges will be opened for commuters.
