Gokhale bridge-flyover alignment fiasco: Suspend BMC chief, says Aaditya Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said Mumbai civic commissioner (administrator) IS Chahal should be placed under suspension for the Gokhale bridge reconstruction fiasco.

It was noticed after construction of the bridge over the tracks at Andheri station that it did not align with the connecting Barfiwala flyover that was built just over a decade ago.

In his letter to Governor Ramesh Bais, Thackeray said apart from Chahal, top ranking railway officials involved in the project must also be suspended since the fiasco has resulted in wastage of taxpayers' money to the tune of several crore rupees.

"The Gokhale bridge reconstruction by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Railways is a national shame. It is an example of politician-official nexus. The news has reached all over the globe but the two agencies continue to play a blame game," Thackeray said.

He claimed the BMC chief was not being transferred by the chief minister despite orders of the Election Commission of India.

He said the local MLA and other officials visited the site multiple times since work began in 2021 but failed to notice the lack of alignment between the under-construction bridge and the connecting flyover.

"Was it on purpose that the fault was created so the bridge could be broken again and rebuilt? The BMC commissioner and railway officials must be suspended to face probe," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.