Kids on the parapet, bikes on the footpath: Chaos engulfs Sion ROB closure

Roads leading to the ROB were jampacked during rush hours, with motorists unaware of the bridge closure honking ceaselessly even as 2-wheelers jostled for space

Mumbai: The first day of complete closure of the Sion road overbridge (ROB) was marked by chaos and overcrowding, with school students, railway commuters, motorists and local residents complaining of harassment. Roads leading to the ROB were jampacked during rush hours, with motorists unaware of the bridge closure honking ceaselessly even as two-wheelers jostled for space with railway commuters on the narrow, barricaded footpath. Students, especially, faced a tough time, and many were seen climbing on the parapet of the footpath, placing their lives at risk, to negotiate the rush.

A large chunk of students enrolled in at least 22 nearby schools who reside in ONGC and other areas in Sion East depend on the ROB to reach the school. Their parents and local residents said alternative arrangements should have been made to ensure their safety and convenience. (Raju Shinde/Hindustan Times)

The ROB, deemed dilapidated by Central Railway, was closed to heavy vehicles last week. It was thrown out of bounds for all vehicles from midnight on Thursday while the narrow footpath on either side was barricaded off with blue metal sheets. During the day on Thursday, workers were seen removing the asphalt on the road, in preparation for its demolition in another 4-6 months. The new ROB is expected to be ready by 2026.

“Most of our students reached school at least 15-30 minutes late today due to the closure of the Sion ROB even though it was the first day of the unit test,” said Jadish Indalkar, principal of the Lion MP Bhuta Sion Saravajanik High School. A large chunk of students residing in ONGC and other areas in Sion East depend on the ROB to reach the school and alternative arrangements should have been made to ensure their safety and convenience, he added.

The Lion MP Bhuta Sion Saravajanik High School is one of at least 22 schools in the area whose students use the ROB to reach their institution and parents of several students enrolled in these schools complained of similar delays.

“Children who have classes in the morning were at least 15 minutes late today. In the afternoon, I saw many of them jumping over the ROB’s divider to get to the footpath on the other side because their side was too crowded,” said Ameer Shaikh, the parent of a class 6 student.

Others too spoke of commuters, especially children, risking their lives to negotiate the patch.

“There was extreme crowding on the footpath (on either side of the ROB) during school hours. I even saw some children climbing on the parapet to make their way through the crowd,” said a street vendor who plies his trade in the area.

Shoba Praveen Patil, an anganwadi worker, said, “We and the parents of children enrolled at our centre are scared to use the bridge. What if something falls off, especially since it is the rainy season.” Since Patil took used an alternative route along the road instead of the ROB to reach the anganwadi on Thursday, she had to wait for an hour in the traffic while going to work. “It has become a huge hassle for us all,” she said.

Although there are two alternate foot overbridges (FOB) located at a distance of 350-500 metres on either side of the Sion ROB, using them involves a 1.5-kilometre detour, they said.

Motorists who depended on the ROB to get to their destination also complained of traffic snarls on alternate routes. “I usually take around 15 minutes to drop children to their schools but today, I took 45 minutes as there was heavy traffic due to diversions,” said Arun G, who drives a school van.

Residents too complained of their vehicles being towed away even though they were unaware that roads in the area had been declared no-parking zones; the Mumbai traffic police had on Tuesday issued a notification to this effect.

“We have been parking our vehicles on the road in front of our building for years. But today, they were towed away. The authorities should make some alternative arrangement for parking,” said Mehul Shah, who lives in Sion.

CR officials apologised for the inconvenience faced by citizens but said it was essential to demolish the ROB as it was “infringing the proposed fifth and sixth railway lines between Kurla and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus”.

The traffic police, meanwhile, requested commuters to follow guidelines issued by the department. “Several motorists are still unaware of the bridge closure, which led to chaos and traffic snarls (on Thursday). But we are creating awareness through social media and radio channels and hope that the situation will ease once motorists know about alternative routes,” said a traffic police officer.