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Maha-Metro to resume installing girders across Lakdi pul after Ganesh festival
Prominent Ganesh mandals raised objections to the Maha-Metro work of placing girders on the pillars at Lakdi pul
PUNE: Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) will take a call regarding installing girders across the Sambhaji bridge popularly known as Lakdi pul after the Ganesh festival.
Atul Gadgil, director of Maha Metro, on Monday said, “It is a technical matter and will take some time to study. We have requested city mayor Murlidhar Mohol to give us one week’s time for the purpose. We will report and make a presentation to the mayor. The decision will be taken after the Ganesh festival is over.”
After around eight prominent Ganesh mandals located in the peth areas raised objections to the work of placing girders on the pillars at Sambhaji bridge last week, Mohol intervened and instructed Maha Metro to stop work apart from calling a meeting of Metro officials to discuss the issue.
Maha Metro, which is executing the Pune metro project, started work on installing a 50metre-long steel girder across Sambhaji bridge, which is the longest girder on the metro stretch between Vanaz and Civil court. However, workers of Ganesh mandals objected to placing the girder at a height of 20 metre above Sambhaji bridge and demanded that the height be increased from 20 feet to 28 feet as they would otherwise face problems passing through the bridge to immerse Ganesh idols in the Mutha river during the Ganesh immersion procession. Office bearers of the mandals claimed that placing girders at a height of 20 feet may pose obstacles during the Ganesh immersion procession. Officials of Maha Metro said that the measurement of the height of Ganesh idols along with their chariots and other decorations has been completed and that till date, these have a maximum height of 24 feet.
As per National highway height clearance standards, a height of 20 feet is mandatory and the two pillars above Sambhaji bridge upon which the girder is going to be placed are kept at a height of 6.5metre by Maha Metro. Maha Metro has taken permission for temporary traffic diversions due to closure of the Lakdi pul from August 24 to September 12.
