As a save-face measure following the flak it received after the Himalaya foot overbridge (FOB) mishap, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had ordered repair work of bridges on a war footing. Despite its call for urgency over its demolition, reconstruction and repair drive, Mumbaikars will have to wait for another year to commute safely. It will take the authorities 15 months to complete repair work — both major and minor. According to an audit conducted after the collapse of a portion of Gokhale Bridge in Andheri on July 3 last year, based on which BMC is conducting repair work, of the 344 bridges across the city, 20 per cent bridges needed major repair or reconstruction while 50 per cent needed minor work. The remaining 30 per cent are in good condition. Of those that require repair, the civic body had awarded contracts ro repair 60 per cent of bridges. For the rest, the work order will be given after the election code of conduct is over. However, repair work came to a screeching halt after Himalaya foot overbridge collapse following which the civic body ordered re-inspection of all bridges. However, re-audit of all of al bridges would have led to delay in crucial bridge repair work. Thus, the BMC had ordered that repair work on 223 bridges, found to be in precarious health, should continue alongside the re-inspection of all bridges. However, the drive will inconvenience the pedestrians if the civic body does not set up an alternative measure. In its drive to demolish dilapidated FOBs and skywalks and repair work on others, pedestrians are forced to walk on roads, adding to traffic congestion. While in case of Himalaya bridge, the authorities have broken the road divider and put up a signal, in others cases, citizens will have to jostle as civic body has not made any alternative arrangement for pedestrians. "BMC has closed Bandra skywalk, but isn't bothered to clear roads so that people, mostly office goers can walk from Western Express Highway to the Bandra East Station," said Godfrey Pimenta an activist from Watchdog Foundation. "BMC has started demolishing dilapidated bridges. But what about an alternative route, making roads and footpaths encroachment-free, constructing new bridges? Things are bring carried out haphazardly," said Kamlakar Shenoy, another activist. Meanwhile, an officer from the BMC said, "BMC has demolished 4 bridges and it will demolish remaining 7 bridges in the coming days. We are doing our best cope up with the situation. However, we can't carry out repair work of all the bridges simultaneously. It will take some time."

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