City bizman moves HC, seeks restoration of Marve Creek bridge ramp

The petition filed by Muhammad Jameel Merchant, terming the demolition as illegal, was mentioned for urgent hearing before the division bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Bharati Dangre .

MUMBAI: A city businessman and social worker from Malwani, Malad West, approached the Bombay high court on Thursday with a plea for restoration of the ramp of a 15-year-old bridge over Marve Creek in Evershine Nagar, which was demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) a month back.

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The petition filed by Muhammad Jameel Merchant, terming the demolition as illegal, was mentioned for urgent hearing before the division bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Bharati Dangre on Thursday.

The petition alleged that the BMC had restrained locals from using the bridge by breaking its ramp and threatening to demolish the same. It stated that the bridge was used by an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people, mostly from the middle-income and low-income groups, living in nearby MHADA colony, Ambujwadi, Jhuleswadi, Azmi Nagar and Kharodi.

Hence, the demolition without public consultation has caused hardship to the local residents in absence of an alternative to the bridge, which was being used by pedestrians and motorists since 2008 and was reconstructed by the local body in 2018. It also claimed that the civic body took the demolition decision without any proper assessment, structural audit, and stability report.