E-Paper
State thwarts Sena gatecrash at sealink
It's about the Bandra-Worli sealink’s inauguration. Harbouring fears that the Shiv Sena may play spoilsport, the state government is doing all it can to pre-empt Sainiks from upsetting the applecart.
It's about the Bandra-Worli sealink’s inauguration.
Harbouring fears that the Shiv Sena may play spoilsport, the state government is doing all it can to pre-empt Sainiks from upsetting the applecart.
Already, the inauguration of the sealink has been deferred as Congress President Sonia Gandhi has not had the time for its inauguration.
Now, the government seems to be doing all it can to ensure that the saffron brigade does not throw a spanner in its works.
The Shiv Sena has developed a penchant for hijacking the inauguration of infrastructure projects in recent years. The latest was the forcible inauguration of the domestic airport flyover in July 2008 a day before the state government was supposed to have formally inaugurate it.
Taking a cue, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who visited the sealink on June 14, had instructed officials to ensure that a similar situation is not replayed at the sealink.
“The chief minister was concerned that the sealink should not become a target for the Shiv Sena and wanted us to ensure that the Sainiks didn’t gatecrash at the sealink before the formal inauguration,” a senior government official said.
To ensure this, barricades have been put up and a small section of work at the Worli-end has still not been completed just so that vehicles don’t cross the road.
The Sena has also been demanding the sealink be named after a Maharashtrian leader.
The sealink has already been under controversy for its spiraling cost and delay in construction. It was to be completed by 2003.
