Stop locking infra projects in inane bickering

The east-west flyover in Borivli is ready for inauguration after four years

The BJP has demanded that the newly constructed flyover in Borivli be named after the late Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat. A BJP delegation met a top civic official handing him a letter asking him to push for the flyover to be named after Rawat. They have also asked that Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis be invited for the inauguration alongside State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The work for this flyover was first recommended and followed up by MP Gopal Shetty. Now Shetty has demanded that the bridge be immediately opened for traffic. Since we are already in the monsoon season, this bridge will ease commuting woes.

This flyover really is a microcosm of the infrastructure problems faced by Mumbaikars. This edit space has highlighted how inane fighting over names has delayed projects unjustifiably depriving people of access. We have also focussed on how tussles over who will inaugurate a project has also led to wasteful and criminal delays.

This space had once said that instead of political parties fighting over naming infra after their leaders, our defence veterans should be immortalised on this infra. However, if this too is going to result in shameful bickering then it is much simpler to call a project by the vicinity it is located in.

All these are distractions and really need to be put aside for the crux of the matter. How much time did it take to complete a project? Did it stick to the timeline? If not, why so? What was the reason for delay, we must recognise that so that we can avoid the same knotty problem in other projects?

Finally, how much have costs escalated because of delay has also to be factored in. Then think whether the facility is truly useful, good quality and how it can be maintained through the years. These are the real aspects that need to be thought about and which matter.