The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered the Central Government to help the Indian Army which has agreed to build a foot overbridge (FOB) in place of the 137-year-old Hancock Bridge in Sandhurst Road on an expeditious basis
Many people have been crossing the tracks after Hancock Bridge was demolished, to save themselves a 7 km detour
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The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered the Central Government to help the Indian Army which has agreed to build a foot overbridge (FOB) in place of the 137-year-old Hancock Bridge in Sandhurst Road on an expeditious basis. The bridge was demolished by the Central Railway in January.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Kamlakar Shenoy, a social worker, claiming several lives have been lost due to the delay in construction of the bridge. Though the bridge was demolished in January, the BMC, the CR, and the Public Works Department have not been able to construct a bridge on a temporary basis.
A foot overbridge (ROB) is likely to be built by BMC with the help of CR, but that will require a long time. It was brought to the notice of Justices Vidyadhar Kanade and Swapna Joshi by Shenoy, that the Indian Army has still not been able to do anything.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the bench that the Indian Army will require technical help from the Central Government, and it has written to the government for help but is yet to get any response.
Justice Kanade then immediately asked the Central Government to expedite the process of providing technical help to the Indian Army for constructing the temporary FOB, which will help people go between Sandhurst Road and Mazgaon.
Stop crossing tracks
Justice Kanade also asked CR counsel Suresh Kumar to consider barricading of railway tracks all over the city, which will stop people from crossing them and help save lives.
Shenoy also brought to the notice of the bench, that as people have to take a long route of seven kilometres because of the missing bridge, they prefer crossing the tracks. Though the BMC has also started a BEST bus every 12 minutes on the ring route, it is not helping.
“People are taking the shortcut though it is dangerous,” said Shenoy. PWD, BMC and CR had stated earlier that considering the 25,000 volt a/c line, encroachments on both ends of the bridge, and the railways not allowing any temporary pillars as the tracks were underneath it, it was a risky proposal to built a temporary bridge.
But as the Indian Army had built a temporary bridge during the Commonwealth Games, and had the experience of building them during war time, they were roped in by the Bombay High Court.
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