After mid-day's relentless coverage, Charni Road's hanging FOB gets staircase, residents cheer, Rlys promises mid-July opening
The bridge now connects Pandit Paluskar Chowk on Charni Road East to the main road near Chowpatty. Pic/Ashish Raje
The long-pending Charni Road foot overbridge (FOB) has finally received its staircase, giving the ‘hanging’ bridge a proper landing. mid-day has consistently highlighted the issue over the past few years, and the construction is now in its final stages. This is the first phase of the project. The second important key phase of the bridge crossing the main sea-facing road is still pending as the BMC is yet to figure out about it.
The incomplete bridge that had no staircase. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Relieved residents in the area have expressed their gratitude to mid-day and called for the early opening of the bridge. For years, the FOB remained suspended without stairs due to a land dispute between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Western Railway.
The bridge connects Pandit Paluskar Chowk on Charni Road East to the main road near Chowpatty, but had remained inaccessible due to the missing west-side staircase. Many commuters using the nearby railway FOB to cross from east to west were fined for using it without a valid train ticket.
“There was a functional foot overbridge many years ago. Authorities demolished it to upgrade the structure, but the new bridge was left hanging without stairs on the west side, turning it into a useless balcony. Now, one part has opened and the other one is awaited, which is deadlier,” said a resident.
The long-pending Charni Road foot overbridge (FOB) has finally received its staircase. Pic/Ashish Raje
“We thank mid-day for continuously raising this issue. The bridge is ready but hasn’t been opened for some strange reason. When I called the officer, he blamed the delay on the rain. BMC has done absolutely nothing regarding their part of the bridge. So people will have no option but to continue crossing the Marine Drive road till the bridge is completed,” said local activist Jeetendra Ghadge. Western Railway officials have assured that the bridge will be open to the public before July 15.
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