BMC permits construction of temporary shelters below Jogeshwari ROB

While the Road Over Bridge ROB in Jogeshwari has eased the commute for motorists the construction of more than ten ground plus one structures under it has become a matter of concernWhen midday visited the ROB on Friday we found over 10 illegal structures constructed under it The people who own these structures have also installed dish antennas on the safety wall of the median carriageway of the ROB PicsNimesh DaveAccording to a state government resolution GR issued in 2009 the parking of vehicles under flyovers has been banned as it was perceived as a security threat post the 2611 attacks However the BMC clearly seems to have forgotten about the GR since it has allowed over 10 structures to come up under the flyoverAccording to the GR parking under flyovers and bridges has been banned because terrorists could possibly park of explosives laden vehicles below them The MSRDC even stopped the payandpark under its flyovers and action was taken against those who had made illegal structures below flyoversWhat is shocking is that the BMC seems to have forgotten this rule since it has allowed the construction of structures of Project Affected People PAP below the Jogeshwari ROB Anyone who travels via the bridge can see more than ten groundplusone structures that have come upA senior BMC official who did not wish to be named said ldquoWe know about the rule but the permission was given to PAPs so that we can complete the project Had the permission not been given the PAPs would have not vacated the area and the project could have not been completedrdquoDish antennas installedWhen midday visited the area below the Jogeshwari FOB on Friday we found that there are more than ten permanent structures that have been constructed A local said ldquoThe people who had constructed these structures are the PAPs affected during the construction of the ROBThe structures have been constructed after getting permission from the BMCrdquo The people and shopkeepers who own these structures have also gone ahead and installed dish TV antennas on the safety wall of the median carriageway of the ROB from where the vehicles travelDarshan Doke a biker who regularly uses the bridge said ldquoI was shocked to see the construction of structures below the ROB The parking of vehicles below the flyovers is banned and with these structures coming in there would be vehicles that too will be parked below the bridge which is a matter of concernI seriously donrsquot understand how the BMC permitted this The residents of these structures might have used drilling machine to fix the antennas which can be dangerous for the structure of the bridgerdquoBMC saysBMC Chief Engineer Bridges SO Kore said ldquoAll I want to say is that the ROB project would not have been completed had we not allowed the PAPs to construct temporary structuresThese are temporary structures and once the transit accommodation for them is ready we would move them away I would ask the concerned BMC official to look into the matter and we will ask them to remove TV antennas from the ROBrdquo