Politicians miffed over opening of new walkway

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) may have opened the controversial Grant Road skywalk, but politicians in the area claim they were not informed about the move.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) may have opened the controversial Grant Road skywalk, but politicians in the area claim they were not informed about the move.

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“The MMRDA should at least inform the corporator of the area while opening such projects. We are unhappy with the MMRDA’s attitude,” Janak Sanghvi, chairman of the D-ward committee, said.

The 650-m-long and 4-m-wide Grant Road skywalk runs from the station to Nana Chowk. The MMRDA opened a 450-m stretch on October 16. The rest will be opened in the next six months.

MMRDA officials claimed they had opened projects to facilitate the public’s convenience. “We have always kept the public informed about the opening of all our projects. All relevant individuals were kept updated about the progress,” said

Dilip Kawathkar, MMRDA joint project director (PR).

Sanghvi, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleged that the MMRDA was not taking members of the opposition parties into confidence while undertaking infrastructure projects.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena had earlier alleged that the agency, which is headed by the chief minister, is acting like a political instrument of the Congress party.

The court stated it was prerogative of the town planning authorities to construct skywalks wherever it was necessary.