MUMBAI: Ahead of the 12-day Ganpati festival, when passenger and pedestrian movement across Mumbai is expected to rise significantly, the Central Railway (CR) will close four foot overbridges (FOBs) at Masjid and Matunga stations after structural audits by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) found them unsafe and recommended their immediate closure to pedestrian traffic.
The decision follows a request from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), which communicated with the CR regarding the closure of the bridges for reconstruction. The four FOBs are the Bhandari FOB at Masjid, the Masjid station FOB, the Matunga Level Crossing FOB at Bhau Daji Road and the Matunga-Dharavi FOB near Guru Nanak High School. The audits reportedly raised concerns about the safety and stability of the bridges and recommended that they be closed to pedestrian movement immediately.
A joint site inspection was conducted by MCGM and CR officials on August 27. IIT-B subsequently submitted separate structural audit reports for all four FOBs on August 31.
The structures have deteriorated, with corrosion affecting critical structural components, according to the audit findings. The closures have been ordered as a precautionary measure to prevent accidents during the festival, a Central Railway spokesperson said on Saturday.
