Mumbai: Work on the bridge connecting Lokhandwala to Yari Road in Andheri is unlikely to begin before Jan as no-objection certificates (NOCs) are awaited from the state forest department for the 48 mangrove trees that were cut along the project’s alignment and traffic police.
The forest department is to conduct a panchnama into the axing of the mangrove trees by BMC in Sept-Oct, said a civic official. “Once the panchnama is done, which will mention the details such as the date, time, and location of the cutting, only then is an NOC expected,” said the official. “Additionally, around 26 encroachments on the Lokhandwala side of the bridge need to be removed before work can commence.”
The official added: “Due to the assembly polls, the follow-ups did slow down slightly, but now we are again rigorously following it and hoping that work on the ground will begin, at least on the Yari Road side, once the NOCs are received.”
Meanwhile, BMC’s bridges department has conveyed to the local ward office to remove the encroachments in the way of the alignment.
In Nov 2023, the BMC floated a Rs 42-crore tender for this bridge, which is expected to cut travel time between Lokhandwala and Yari Road from 35 minutes to five.
According to civic records, the bridge was first proposed in 2002, and a tender was floated in 2014. Back then, the project was pegged at a cost of Rs 16 crore, and a contractor was also appointed. Later, the contractor refused to carry out the project for Rs 16 crore. A new tender was then floated in Nov 2023.
