BMC passes buck to MMRDA to repair Andheri’s Jog flyover
Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has decided the civic body won’t repair the flyover because it’s embroiled in an arbitration process with Hiranandani
Weeks after a large slab from a portion of the Andheri flyover on the Western Express Highway (WEH) fell on a car and injured the driver, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) to repair the structure.
As HT reported on June 28, the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute’s (VJTI) audit report on the flyover submitted to the BMC in April said its superstructure is in a precarious condition and needs urgent repairs.
BMC sources told HT that municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani decided the civic body won’t repair the flyover because it’s embroiled in an arbitration process involving Hiranandani Constructions Pvt Ltd (HCPL). The developer has been in charge of maintaining the flyover, also known as Jog Flyover, since 2005.
“HCPL said there is a legal dispute and, until now, they have spent ₹64 crore on that bridge. If any mishap were to happen again, why would BMC take responsibility? This is a tricky situation for the BMC, a dilemma. The government should resolve this issue at the earliest because, in this tussle, the public is at loss, as the bridge is in a precarious condition according to VJTI’s report,” said a civic source.
Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar confirmed that the BMC is asking MMRDA to repair the flyover. On paper, the state government’s Public Works Department (PWD) owns the flyover. However, the BMC is writing to MMRDA as the latter handed over the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Dahisar, including the Jog Flyover, to the BMC in November 2022 for maintenance.
“Since there is a legal entanglement of which BMC is not a part, we have been instructed by the municipal commissioner to write to MMRDA as they had handed over the flyover. And that MMRDA should have done the repairs before it was handed over, as it was their responsibility,” said Bangar.
The PWD had awarded the contract to construct the flyover to Jog Engineering Ltd (JEL) in 1997-98. “Apart from a government grant, [JEL] sought loans from a few banks and approached a debt recovery tribunal,” said Bangar. “There was a settlement, and it was through it that HCPL came into the picture. They took over from JEL. In 2005, PWD acknowledged possession taken by HCPL. So, since 2005, HCPL has been in charge of the bridge’s maintenance.”
Apart from the arbitration, HCPL has also requested around 33,000 square metres of space under the flyover for commercial use to set up a shopping complex, which would help it cover the maintenance cost.