Probe construction of Lalbaug flyover: HC
The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner to find out, by appointing a senior officer, whether there were any lapses in the construction of the Lalbaug flyover, and take appropriate action, in case of lapses found.
The division bench of justices Abhay Oka and Anuja Prabhudessai also directed the government to consider appointing a panel of experts to investigate why the flyover deteriorated within five years of its construction, so that guidelines can be laid down for flyovers and bridges,
The court was hearing a PIL filed by activist Bhagwanji Raiyani, who raised questions about the safety of commuters using the 2.6km flyover and the contract worth Rs12.46 crore for resurfacing the flyover, replacing old drainage pipes and creating road markings. According to the petitioner, the contract was awarded without conducting a structural audit of the bridge, as earlier ordered by the HC.
In the earlier hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer, advocate Sumedha Rao expressed the necessity of taking action against the contractor of the flyover for purportedly carrying out faulty construction work, as several defects had cropped up barely five years after its construction.
The contractor’s lawyer, advocate Subodh Desai, however, maintained that the civic body was supposed to appoint a regular maintenance contractor for the flyover, which has not been done and the bridge was notmain tained during this period.
The court has now directed BMC to ensure that the work under the Rs12.46 crore contract is completed by May 31, and also the work of structural repairs is commenced under supervision of the IIT-B by June 2017 and com pleted within six months .