Thane: Craters on Kopri ROB filled after mid-day expose

Potholes on the recently inaugurated Kopri rail overbridge on Monday. Pics/Sameer Markande

Days after mid-day highlighted the presence of potholes on the Kopri rail overbridge (ROB), the craters have been filled. Central Railway (CR) has claimed that the overall structure poses no threat to commuters.

A CR official said, "The potholes and uneven surface of the cement concrete stretch on the Kopri ROB were attended to at night. Spots [potholes and cracks] were noticed on the top wearing coat [protective layer] and not in the main structural concrete. Heavy vehicles were plying at full speed during the first phase of the work. During the setting of concrete, the bond between the reinforcement and concrete may have been disturbed at isolated locations on account of vibrations. The overall structure is absolutely safe."

The craters on Kopri bridge are no longer visible on Wednesday, in the wake of mid-day's coverage

On July 12, mid-day reported about how the sorry state of Kopri bridge - which this newspaper had highlighted the day before - had sparked a war of words. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray lashed out at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, reminding citizens that the ROB had been inaugurated by the latter on his birthday, February 9, this year.

According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the cement concrete stretch was built by CR. On Tuesday, a CR official told mid-day, "Fixing the ROB is the Railways' responsibility. These potholes will be attended to in the next two to three days." When mid-day photographer Sameer Markande visited the spot on Wednesday, he noticed that the smoothness of the stretch had been restored.