HC dismisses PIL challenging demolition of Elphinstone bridge

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Dadar resident, which contended that the proposed demolition of the Elphinstone bridge would inconvenience local residents and cause major traffic snarls.

The division-bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Makarand Karnik dismissed the petition saying they were not experts in town planning and urged the petitioner, Prabhanjan Katre, to approach the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the project proponent.

The development came a day after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state government would undertake cluster redevelopment for all 19 buildings affected by the demolition of the British-era bridge and the construction of a two-deck flyover in its place. Fadnavis made the announcement following protests and concerns raised by the residents regarding the structural stability of their buildings, even though the MMRDA claimed that only two buildings would be affected.

In his PIL, Katre claimed that the design of the two-deck flyover was faulty as it did not cater to nearby areas like Mata Parvati Nagar, Navshanti Nagar, and Jay Prakash Nagar or provide connectivity with least 12 hospitals including KEM Hospital and Tata Memorial Hosptial on the eastern side of Parel. The proposed flyover did not accommodate exits for ambulances and was likely to add to traffic congestion at the western end, the petition said.

The PIL also raised concerns about possible mismanagement of the project, given instances like the height mismatch between Gokhale and Barfiwala bridges and the incomplete expansion of the Tilak bridge in Dadar. It urged the court to issue an injunction against MMRDA from commencing construction and sought directions to build a three-deck bridge instead of a two-deck bridge.

The court, however, directed Katre to make a representation to the MMRDA and directed the special planning authority to hear him.

“We don’t know what they are demolishing. Your suggestion has to go to them. We will ask them to consider this. We are not the planning authority. You may have valid suggestions, but we can’t implement them,” the court said while refusing to entertain the PIL.

The proposed two-deck flyover is part of the Sewri-Worli elevated connector, a 4.5-km, four-lane corridor connecting the Atal Setu on the eastern shores with the Bandra Worli Sea Link on the western coast.