Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) of corruption in the construction of Atul Setu, while inspecting cracks that have appeared on the bridge, reported PTI.
Congress chief Patole claimed that the bridge's construction quality was poor with a portion of the road caving in by a foot, accusing BJP and MMRDA of putting people's lives in danger.
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This six-lane bridge is 21.8 km long with a 16.5 km sea link connecting South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
"The bridge has been named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and yet the government indulged in corruption. This is very unfortunate," Patole said, reported PTI.
Both BJP and MMRDA have responded to this allegation by claiming that the cracks are not on the actual bridge but on the approach road from Ulwe in Navi Mumbai reported PTI.
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BJP reacted to the allegations on X by saying that the cracks are not on the bridge and immediate repair works are being made to solve the issue.
{{/usCountry}}BJP reacted to the allegations on X by saying that the cracks are not on the bridge and immediate repair works are being made to solve the issue.
{{/usCountry}}MMRDA too stated along these lines.
The MMRDA statement also said that during an inspection by the Operation and Maintenance team on June 20, 2024, minor cracks were found on the road surface near the edges at three locations on Ramp 5. These cracks are minor longitudinal cracks in the asphalt pavement which can be easily fixed, the statement said, according to PTI.
MMRDA said that repair works will be completed within 24 hours.
Built at ₹17,840 crore, 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu' also known as the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) was inaugurated in January this year.
(with inputs from PTI)