Central Railway officials insist heavy girder at Vidyavihar does not pose a safety threat
The rail overbridge’s two girders are the longest such structures in India
The Central Railway said on Thursday that no block was necessary for lowering the Vidyavihar bridge and denied that the structure is a safety hazard, reiterating that BMC had been awaiting bearings required for the bridge’s lowering since November.
There is no issue regarding the availability of blocks or unsafe conditions. The first open web girder at the Kalyan end was launched in May 2023 and is now placed on bearings. The second one on the CSMT side was launched in November 2023. Two bearings below the east side end are already fixed, and bearings on the west side are balanced for fixing,” said Central Railway’s CPRO, Dr Swapnil Nila. He added that the open web girder was resting safely on steel stools, and the jacks seen at the site were only placed at the abutment without any load. “Only 45 cm lowering is left for the final position on bearings. All this lowering will be done without any block requirement,” he explained.
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Two bearings below the east side end are already fixed
“As for the block, no block is ever denied by the operating department. Even the BMC field staff is not aware of who is spreading such false news. Today, senior railway officials checked the site with a team from Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) & BMC and again instructed to ensure full safety,” he added.
BMC Chief Engineer Vivek Kalyankar did not respond to calls and messages despite attempts till the time of going to the press. Sources said that the process of fixing bearing was on and that there will be visible progress next week.
May 2023
Month the open-web girder was launched over the tracks
Nov 2023
Month second girder was launched
BMC vs Railways
. BMC is responsible for the work
. BMC’s consultant: RITES
. BMC’s civil contractor: A B Infrastructure
. BMC’s steel contractor: HMM Infra Ambala
. Railways’ role: Arranging blocks and watching for safe working
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