Mumbai: Malad locals stage protest, demand reopening of bridge for bikers

The bridge built over the Malwani and Evershine Nagar creek in Malad West and used as a shortcut by the bikers to reach the Link Road has now been shut by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMCThe civic body also demolished the ramps on both sides and permanently closed the bridge by placing cement barriers making the regular commuters furiousThe bridge previously being used by bikersOn Monday various NGOs and local political leaders gathered with more than 100 people under the banner of lsquoMalwani Vikas Manchrsquo and protested outside the BMC office demanding that the bridge be reopened for bikersAdvocate Saeed Shaikh said despite demonstrations the BMC officials did not accept their demands The protestors have alleged that civic officials were involved in a conspiracy and had closed the bridge to benefit local buildersSocial Rizwana Khan sitting on hunger strikeThe protesters warned that if the bridge is not reopened for bikers they will stage a protest outside the offices of the political leaders and also go on a hunger strike at Azad MaidanRizwana Khan a female social worker from Malwani speaking to midday said ldquoThis bridge was reconstructed in 2018 by demolishing the old bridge at a cost of Rs 7 crore from government funds People using the old bridge travelled by both bike and foot The new bridge was built with a strong structure capable of handling thousands of bikers daily Today the BMC claims that this bridge was never meant for bikers If that is so who built the ramp for bikers on the bridge If it was not intended for bikers why was no notice issuedrdquo She demanded that the bridge remain open for bikers until an alternative route is providedPeople under the banner of Malwani Vikas Manch stage protest outside the BMC officeJamil Merchant another social worker and founder of the Jamil Merchant Foundation filed a PIL last week in the Bombay High Court against the BMC calling it a violation of fundamental human rights and labelling it an inhumane actldquoI had written to the state administration and also the chief minister requesting that the bridge be reopened for bikers but no action was taken Nearly 49000 people have signed this petition After this the only option left for me was to approach the court I have no personal agenda or interest in this matter I filed this PIL solely for the publicrdquoSpeaking on the issue P North Municipal Corporation ward officer Kundan Vali said ldquoThe BMC has clearly stated that this bridge was never built for bikers it was originally meant for water pipelines and electric cables with pedestrians using it to cross However over time a large number of bikers started it daily posing a risk of a major accident To ensure public safety the bridge was closed for bikers However pedestrians are still allowed to use itrdquoPeople under the banner of Malwani Vikas Manch stage protest outside the BMC officeHe stated that the flyover bridge on Marve Road has been built and is open for public movement and that people should use that bridgeldquoA bridge connecting Malwani to Link Road has been approved with the tendering process set to take place this month The construction of the bridge will commence soonrdquo Vali added