Wide crack appears on Matunga foot-over-bridge; BMC declares it safe

A crack has appeared in the Matunga footbridge. Pic/Rajendra B. Aklekar

Following the drastic Mumbai CST bridge collapse which raised question over the safety of commuters in Mumbai, another case of a wide crack appearing on the Matunga foot-over-bridge has come up. After pictures of commuters walking on the bridge which had wide cracks went viral on social media wherein Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis was tagged, the Western Railway sprung into action and alerted officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), who after inspecting the bridge once again, declared it safe for the commuters.

A commuter walks on the Matunga foot-over-bridge as wide cracks appear; the BMC has declared the bridge safe.

The foot-over-bridge (FOB) is located outside Matunga railway station and seems to appear unsafe due to the cracks that have popped up from the surface of the bridge.

Following the tweets by Mumbaikars, the Western Railway (WR) promptly sent a letter with attached pictures of the bridge to the local civic ward office on March 29, 2019. In the letter addressed to the BMC, the Western Railway officials asked them to inspect the skywalk at Matunga Road which was under their maintenance.

"The skywalk needs inspection and adequate maintenance. The structure needs to be audited and safety-certified by MCGM since it is adjacent to the railway station and tracks," read the letter.

While speaking to mid-day, Western Railway chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar said that the WR had nothing to do with the bridge since it is beyond the railway premises, built and maintained by the local civic body. "As a responsible organisation, we alerted the local body following complaints from citizens," he told mid-day.

According to the BMC officials, "A team of engineers have examined the bridge and found out that there were no cracks but simply a construction joint and that the bridge is absolutely safe. The Western Railway has closed down that portion of the bridge which is to undergo demolition."

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