Bellasis Bridge to beat deadline by 6 months?

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is confident that it complete the reconstruction of the over-a-century-old bridge not just by its June 2026 deadline, but six months before it

Mumbai: In a city teeming with unfinished infrastructure work and missed deadlines, the Bellasis Bridge in south Mumbai is a stark rarity. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is confident that it complete the reconstruction of the over-a-century-old bridge not just by its June 2026 deadline, but six months before it.

Mumbai, India – 08, April 2025: Workers are currently engaged in the demolition and reconstruction of the Bellasis Bridge, at Mumbai Central, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, April 08, 2025. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Among the several British-era bridges being dismantled and rebuilt in Mumbai, the Bellasis Bridge—built in 1893 and named after British Major General John Bellasis—passes over the railway tracks at Mumbai Central, connecting Nagpada in the east to Tardeo in the west.

Over 130 years after its construction, a structural audit by the BMC in 2018 found that it was dilapidated. Much to the chagrin of the 25,000 to 30,000 motorists who used it daily, the civic body said the bridge would have to be demolished and reconstructed.

However, they needn’t have started worrying so soon, as the demolition of the bridge didn’t begin until June 2024. There was a quibble over whether the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation or the BMC and Western Railway would jointly rebuild it, with the latter chosen. Designs took the churn for approvals, with the usual delays adding to the years.

Finally, a cable-stayed bridge was envisioned, with the BMC paying ₹70 crore and the railways another ₹40 crore. Lanes were doubled to six, and design tweaks were made. Alternative routes were suggested to commuters during the reconstruction period.

Fisher protests

The design change, however, impacted some residents of the area. While a BMC official claimed that the inhabitants of 16 structures were affected and rehabilitated as per policy, the fate of a 100-year-old fish market lies in the dark. The BMC has acknowledged that 14-16 fisherwomen are affected by the bridge.

Tucked beneath one side of the under-construction bridge, a row of fisherwomen who form the Tardeo Bellasis Bridge Fish Market sit with the day’s catch. They are few in number—15 regulars out of 27, but only seven of them have a valid hawker licence. Due to delays in the renewal or transfer of licences by the other fisherwomen, the BMC declared them illegal vendors.

“The BMC has agreed to give the seven [licensed fisherwomen] alternative accommodation in the market in the area, but we will not allow them to leave the others stranded,” said Devendra Damodar Tandel, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Macchimar Kruti Samiti, a fisher association. “The women are old, have been selling fish for generations, and have not been able to get licences from the civic body.”

A civic official from the D ward, who requested anonymity, said, “We don’t see what the issue is when the BMC has rehabilitated them in a market. How can they sell fish on the road? BMC will initiate action.” Following detailed discussions with senior officials from the BMC’s market department, possible alternatives have been suggested to resolve the situation.

Accordingly, a fisher delegation will meet with Manish Valunju, assistant municipal commissioner of the D ward, on Thursday. “Should a resolution not be reached in this meeting, the fishers are planning a protest on April 21 at the site of the Belasis Bridge construction,” said Tandel.

It remains to be seen if the fisher protests derail the Bellasis Bridge reconstruction work. For now, the BMC is still confident of meeting—and beating—the deadline.

With inputs from Linah Baliga