After 13 deaths, Bandra's fatal U-bridge to be walled for safety

The Ubridge that connects Bandra East to West has been claiming more than three to four lives every year since 2015 As per the traffic departments statistics mdash accessed by midday mdash in four years 14 lives have been lost on the stretch while another 25 have been critically injured at this deadly turn This year alone three people died on the same spot Fortunately there were no casualties on the stretch in 2018 but from 2015 to 2017 11 people were killed on the deadly bridgeThe Bandra Police claimed that they have written several letters to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC and tried to draw their attention towards the rising casualties but theyve received no response The only time MSRDC took a few steps to rectify the problem was in 2016 But nothing much has been done since even as deadly incidents continue to rise on the bridgeAlso ReadMumbai Biker hit by car falls off Bandras U bridge diesWrote to MSRDCAs per the traffic department this year three people have lost their lives on the bridge In 2016 after four deaths were reported on the bridge then senior PI of Bandra police station Pandit Thackeray inspected the bridge and then wrote to MSRDC asking them to take necessary steps to prevent such fatal accidentsErrant bikersThackeray who is now senior PI of MHB police station told midday During my tenure several incidents were reported on the bridge most of them were of bikers dying after riding roughly or doing stunts on the bridge They fell off the bridge and died on the spot I visited the bridge several times and wrote to MSRDC as well They made changes such as putting reflectors street lights CCTV at the entrance of the bridge as well as tyres near the turning but the wall was not extended However following a few of the changes the number of accidents has gone downSeveral mishaps on the Ubridge have been caused by errant bike riders It has become a hotspot for bikers late in the night as it connects to Bandra Reclamation Most of the time these bikers meet with an accident while attempting deadly stunts on the Ubridge or on the Reclamation roadThe current senior PI of Bandra police station Girish Vishnu Anavkar said These incidents are happening because of bikers coming from different areas of Mumbai We have been taking extensive action against these bikers who have been doing stunts on the bridge Apart from this we are also coordinating with MSRDC to take preventive measures to stop such fatal accidents Several steps are being taken by them and some are under processFollowing the two incidents this year which claimed three lives the Bandra traffic division PI Nitin Patil also took serious note of the issue and is trying to ensure the boundary wall gets extended He told midday I am coordinating with MSRDC officials to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to prevent such fatalities Apart from this we are taking extensive action on bikers riding near and on the bridgeState Cabinet minister and Bandra MLA Ashish Shelar has also written to MSRDC about the issue He told midday Letters have been sent to MSRDC We will ensure that the wall extension work gets sanctioned soonAlso ReadMumbais killer roads Speed demons make Kherwadi bridge hellMSRDC saysSpeaking about what MSRDC has done to make the bridge safer chief engineer of MSRDC Shankar Dhote said We have taken several precautionary measures such as putting speed breakers on the bridge and installing precautionary signboards Some others are under process and will be completed in the due course of time I am not aware of letters from the police or for how long theyve been writing to us Ive taken charge only a few days ago so I wont be able to comment on thatCasualty centralYear deaths2015 042016 042017 032018 002019 03Also ReadThese railway bridges in Mumbai are declared dangerous but still standingCase studiesShahid Khan and Arbaz ShaikhAuthorities please take necessary stepsThe most recent fatal accident on the bridge occurred in the wee hours of June 9 when Malwani resident Shahid Khan who was riding a bike died after falling from the bridge when his vehicle was hit by a car His pillion rider Arbaz Shaikh was critically injured but he survived the mishap as he didnt fall off the bridge The Bandra police arrested the driver of the car that hit Khans bike after he took a right turn while following bikers coming from the wrong side of the road Shahids father Samiullah Khan told midday I have lost my son I cannot describe the pain that I am going through The police should always take strict action against bikers violating the rules driving rashly doing stunts on highways or especially in areas like Bandra My son lost his life after falling from the bridge and Ive heard that many people have died because of the same reason at the Ubridge I would request the authorities concerned to please take necessary steps to prevent such incidents so we can at least save somebodys life I have lost my son I dont want anyone else to go through the same painAman Sheikh Junaid Rai and Kamrunissa Shaikh PicSayyed Sameer AbediSave the lives of othersPrior to Shahid Khans death three teenagers who were taking a triple seat ride died after their bike skidded upon reaching the sharp curve of the bridge The incident occurred on May 21 the impact was such that the bike hit the tyres installed on the edge of the bridge throwing the trio off it Two of the pillion riders Aman Sheikh and Hiran Khan died on the spot while Junaid Rai who was riding the bike continues to battle for life Junaid has been booked by the Bandra police under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act Amans mother Kamrunnisa Sheikh told midday That day his friends took him for an early morning bike ride Later we got to know that he died after falling off the bridge I know my son will never come back I dont want to blame anyone for this because he died due to his own negligence but police should arrest the one who was riding the bike As a mother I request this government to take some necessary steps and save the lives of others so mothers dont have to cry like this Hiran hailed from UP and was working here with a vegetable vendor His friend Gulam Sheikh said He was all alone here Most of the time he used to be at the shopCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates