Vikhroli FOB reopens after delay, bringing relief to commuters

Schoolchildren and office-goers are happy they can safely cross the busy road again on the Vikhroli FOB. Pic/Ritika Gondhalekar

Within days of our report on the matter, the long-awaited foot overbridge (FOB) at Kannamwar Nagar, Vikhroli, has finally been thrown open to the public. The move brought much-needed relief to hundreds of commuters and residents who had been waiting for its reopening after it was shut for repairs.

This paper had reported on June 12 how the FOB continued to stay barricaded past the June 10 deadline. The pedestrian bridge is located near Pravin Hotel, on the service road to the eastern side of Vikhroli station. It is the only connector for pedestrians wanting to cross between Tagore Nagar and Kannamwar Nagar.

We had reported how frustrated citizens had taken to crossing the barricades and using the bridge without authorisation, risking injuries.

"We are relieved that the bridge has finally been opened. People had already started using it because crossing the busy Eastern Express Highway or taking long detours was difficult. We thank mid-day for bringing our issue to the attention of the authorities," said a local resident, Sanjay Jaiswal.

Another resident, Asha More, said the delay had caused unnecessary hardship. "We are happy that at last they remembered to remove the barricades and open the FOB for us. Senior citizens, schoolchildren and office-goers suffered for months. The bridge was ready, but it remained shut. We are happy that common people can now use it safely," she said.

School and college students are even happier as they can now reach their respective educational institutes safely.

"It was so unsafe to cross the highway. And because of that our parents had started accompanying us to the school and back. Now, my friend and I can go to school by ourselves, like before," said Sonam Jadhav, a school student.