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Patripool bridge unsafe, speed up work on new one: Kalyan residents to MSRDC
The road accident at Patripool bridge on Friday that killed a biker and injured another has angered residents.
The road accident at Patripool bridge on Friday that killed a biker and injured another has angered residents.
Members of Kalyan’s Alert Citizen Forum protested against the authorities regarding the delay in the construction of the new Patripool bridge. The forum demanded improvement in the condition of roads on Kalyan- Shilphata stretch. Patripool bridge is a part of the stretch.
Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is building the new Patripool bridge, said it will be completed by April 2020. However, commuters claimed that the work has not gained momentum.
On Friday, a biker Arun Krishna Mahajan, 58, died while another biker, Vitthal Vilas Redkar, 64, was injured when a truck collided with their bikes on Patripool bridge.
“The police claimed that it was a normal road accident. However, we are sure that the accident took place due to the bad condition of the roads. People are forced to take the unsafe bridge because there is no other option. The Patripool bridge has turned into a nightmare as vehicles get stuck for around two hours during peak hours,” said Sreenivas Ghanekar, founder of the forum.
The members have posted phone numbers of MSRDC officials on social media platforms and have asked citizens to call up officials and ask them about the unsafe Kalyan- Shilphata stretch.
An MSRDC official, who did not wish to be named, said, “I have been receiving calls from many about the new Patripool bridge. The project will speed up after monsoon.”
According to the MSRDC officials, construction of the new Patripool bridge is part of a six-lane project on 21-km Kalyan Shilphata stretch.
On Saturday, residents blocked Patripool bridge and threatened to shave off their head in public. “If an official does not respond to our queries, we will call up his senior. We will keep troubling the officials until work steps are taken our safety,” said Ghanekar.
Earlier, there was a one-lane Patripool bridge, which was 104 years old. It was dismantled in December 2018 after being declared dangerous by the Central Railway. The CR dismantled the bridge after an IIT-B report termed it unsafe. The traffic was diverted on the adjacent Patripool bridge, on which the accident happened on Friday.
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