Vidyavihar bridge: Mari Aai temple committee, BMC arrive at solution

Mumbai: The impasse over the construction of Vidyavihar bridge between the committee of 100-year-old Mari Aai temple and the municipal authorities has been resolved and the construction of the bridge will continue, said a BJP parliamentarian on Wednesday.

The committee had raised objections as the construction of the bridge meant that the temple, situated outside the station, would be affected and probably shifted. This led some residents to oppose the construction of the bridge.

After a meeting involving the concerned parties on Wednesday, BJP MP Manoj Kotak said, “We have decided in the meeting that, if the temple is getting fully affected, then BMC will relocate and construct it at one end of the bridge. And if during the construction, the temple is only partially affected, then the idol and a portion of the temple will remain where it is.’’

Kotak said this was decided in a meeting involving, other than him, the temple committee, officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), bridges department officers.

Kotak added that the construction of the bridge will continue with one girder launched in February and second one, before May.

After the railway finishes their stretch, the BMC will finish the roadside approaches and have invited a tender for the same. Due to the delay caused by covid-19 lockdown, the cost of the bridge has escalated from ₹99 crore to ₹178 crore.

The bridge is expected to improve connectivity between eastern areas of Ghatkopar and Vidyavihar with the western ones. It will connect the Fatima Church Road and the Ghatkopar Mahul Road. The plan for the bridge was approved in 2016 and work for it was commissioned in 2018. The original deadline was 2022, which has now been extended to May 2024.