Maharashtra
Maharashtra has 35K bridges and their upkeep poses nightmarish challenge
![](https://mumbaipress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/rail.jpg)
Maharashtra has a stupendous 35,000-plus big and small bridges on roads in village, towns, cities, state or national highways, posing mind-boggling challenges for their regular upkeep and maintenance, with multiple agencies involved, but recording barely 100 structures crashing since 2000, top officials said.
As per government data, under the state’s Public Works Department (PWD) jurisdiction, there are 146 small, 105 big and five long bridges (total 256) from the pre-Independence era, some dating back to over 350 years and still functional.
In the post-Independence era, the state recorded massive development since 1957, with around 16,000 small, 2100 big and 100 long (total 18,200) bridges being constructed.
Besides, there are some 12,000, including 2,000 major bridges, on the national highways crisscrossing the state, an estimated 4,000 (total 16,000) in various civic bodies’ jurisdictions, like some 450-odd in Mumbai, not counting another huge number of bridges on the railway networks.
Despite the huge numbers of bridges, in the past 22 years, barely around 100 medium or small have crashed – 75 percent of them comprising masonry design and the rest raft design – in different parts of the state.
The worst crash was the washout of 106-year-old British-era masonry bridge on the heavily-flooded Savitri River near Mahad in Ratnagiri on August 2, 2016, which swept away two ST buses and around 10 other private vehicles with the death toll touching 40.
There have been other smaller crashes in Mumbai and other parts of the state in the past two decades though with lesser casualties or fatalities.
As per Indian Road Congress (IRC) norms, a “small bridge” spans 06-60 metres, a “big bridge” is 60-200 metres and a “long bridge” is 200 metres plus and can go upto a few kms in length, each posing unique challenges for their upkeep and safety.
These bridges comprise a variety of designs, architecture styles and materials depending on their location, whether linking hills, mountains, passing over rivers, streams, drains (nullah), creeks, the sea (the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link or the upcoming Mumbai Trans Harbour Link), flyovers, road over-bridge, foot over-bridge, etc.
“There are prescribed SOPs for checks, routine, pre-monsoon and post-monsoon maintenance for all bridges, but with a staff of around 5,000, its possible to cover only around 35 per cent of the bridges in a year,” revealed a senior PWD officer, requesting anonymity.
As per the SOPs, any initial complaints go to the concerned local PWD office which sends out teams to inspect, and if there are serious problems, specialised team with experts from within and outside (like IITs, IIE, etc.) examine it scientifically, said the officer, who has personally inspected around 1,000 bridges in the past two decades in some of the most hazardous terrain.
Then, the cumbersome work of making reports, proposals, budget estimates, sourcing the funds, setting the time-frame, etc, takes place, and again depending on the urgency of the work, it may or may not be prioritised as paucity of finance remains the biggest hurdle.
A former PWD Chief Engineer of Bridges had suggested to the state government and Union Minister for Roads & Highways Nitin Gadkari to rope in the 30,000 students from civil engineering colleges studying in their two final years to help in the inspection works.
“They can form a part of the local PWD inspection teams and theoretically can inspect all the 35,000-bridges in the state in just a couple of days. This exercise can be done twice a year to reveal all the maintenance flaws and potential risks to any structure,” he said.
The students would be guided by the PWD experts, and it would have proved an invaluable academic field exercise with some incentives like grace marks or extra grades in their exams, etc, but there was no movement on his suggestion, rued the ex-CE.
Prescribing a regular “good health check-up” for all bridges, especially the old ones, a senior Highway Department officer appreciated the Indian Railways for their “constant vigil and dedicated teams carrying out daily, weekly, monthly inspections or biannual surveys of all their bridges” to ensure safety of the hundreds of trains hurtling around the country with passengers and cargo.
“Unfortunately, this zest is severely lacking among the states’ PWDs and virtually non-existent for the national highways authority, though the local civic bodies barely pass out on this count,” the officer said.
Touching on the Savitri River bridge crash, the PWD officer said it was nicknamed a “green bridge” as its fa�ade was completely covered with shrubs, bushes, creepers and small plants – but spelling a “red alert” from the safety aspect.
“Such overgrowth is rarely taken into account, another lurking danger is the dredging of sand from the water-bed in the vicinity, blatantly violating norms which weaken the bridge foundations and make it prone to a crash, overloading during peak hours which hasten the wear-and-tear, allowing vehicles to ply even when the flood levels touch or cross the red level marks, as it happened in the Savitri River case,” he said.
Officers from the Highways Department, PWD, civic bodies and others ruled that “unless regular inspection and maintenance” is carried out for all bridges – majority are already over 40-50 years old – there can be repetitions of the recent Morbi (141 dead) or the 2003 Daman & Diu (26 dead) type tragedies, with more risks added as new bridges come up practically every month in the massive expansion of the roads and railways in the country.
The inspection tasks are now considerably easier with the applications of computers, drones, satellites or other modern gadgets to scan the bridge health without physical presence, though the latest technological advancements come at a high price and are deployed on hardly one percent of all the structures in the state, the officials said.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra: Relief For Marathwada As Jayakwadi Dam Reaches Full Capacity, Lakes Supplying Water To Mumbai Cross 98% Mark Amid Heavy Rainfall
![](https://mumbaipress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-1-22.png)
Mumbai: In a major relief to the drought-prone Marathwada region, the Jayakwadi dam reached 100 per cent water storage on Saturday, September 7. The dam, located in Paithan, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) is a major water supplier for Marathwada. Jayakwadi dam on the same day last year had mere 32.60 per cent water storage, according to the data by the Maharashtra Water Resources (WRS) Department.
What State Water Resources Data Says
Amid heavy rainfall this monsoon, all 2,997 dams in Maharashtra (including major and minor) have reached total of 83.15 per cent water levels, which is almost 20 per cent more than last year, the WRS data says.
If only major 138 dams are considered, which cover all regions- Konkan (including Mumbai), Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambjajinagar (Marathwada), the total water storage as of Saturday has reached 92.63 per cent. On the same day last year, the water level were mere 70.92 per cent, WRS’ live storage comparison report says.
It is the first time since 2018 that almost all major dams in Maharashtra have reached 100 per cent water storage, indicating that the state may not face severe water shortage up to next monsoon.
Water Level in Mumbai Lakes
Amid heavy rainfall in last few days, the seven reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai have crossed 98 per cent water storage. As of September 6, the water stock in seven lakes including Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Tansa, Tulsi, Vihar and Modak Sagar was 98.06 per cent. On the same day last year, water stock in these seven lakes was 90.39 per cent.
Rainfall in Maharashtra
Last week, parts of Maharashtra, particularly the Vidharbha and Marathwada regions received intense rainfall. Several districts in Marathwada went under water and lakhs of hectors of crops were damaged. The flood-like situation took 12 lives and thousands of villagers were relocated to safer locations.
This monsoon, Maharashtra has witnessed above normal rainfall, with the state receiving more than 126% of average rainfall from June 1 until last week.
Maharashtra
‘Cannot Say Who Will Be CM After Election’: Devendra Fadnavis Says ‘Authority To Decide Is With Parliamentary Board’
![](https://mumbaipress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-1-20.png)
Mumbai: At a time when the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is grappling with the issue of its chief ministerial candidate, the picture in the ruling Mahayuti is not different either. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that while the Mahayuti will contest Assembly elections under Eknath Shinde’s leadership, he cannot say who will be the Chief Minister after the election.
Participating in a conclave organised by a regional news channel, Fadnavis said, the authority (to decide on CM) was with the parliamentary board of our party and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). There was no dispute among the alliance partners over the chief ministerial face, he added further.
Eknath Shinde is heading the state government and the person who holds the post of Chief Minister leads the election, said Fadnavis adding, the assembly election will be contested under the leadership of Eknath Shinde.
Fadnavis also made it clear that there were no differences among the partners in Mahayuti on the issue of CM. The BJP parliamentary board will take a decision on it after the assembly elections and it will be acceptable to all of us. Eknath Shinde is the head of the state, so we will go before the people under his leadership, Fadnavis reiterated.
When asked about any assurance given to Shinde by the central leadership on the CM’s post after the elections, the reply given by Fadnavis was that if they have any discussion about this, it will come before us after some time and we will decide accordingly.
A Snipe At Uddhav Thackeray And The Reply By Aaditya
Fadnavis took some potshots at his arch political rival Uddhav Thackeray also. If there have been three-four faces in the mind of Sharad Pawar it surely not be that of Uddhav Thackeray, said the Dy CM. He was camping in Delhi for 3-4 days to get his name announced as the CM candidate but nothing was achieved.
Moreover, the Congress senior leader Sonia Gandhi did not allow him to click the picture of the meeting he had with her, Fadnavis claimed. Participating in the same conclave Aaditya Thackeray offered his reply on this. Taking a jibe, the former minister said, if it was not for Uddhav Thackeray, even Fadnavis’s face is not before the Mahayuti leaders as the next CM.
When asked about his reaction Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde said, do your duty and do not worry about the results. I work hard, and don’t think about the outcome. I do not think what I have achieved but rather what the state has received, he said. We are working as a team and will continue to do so, said the CM.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: PIL Filed In Bombay HC Seeking Ban On DJs, Dance, Music, & Laser Lights During Eid Milad-Un-Nabi Processions
![Mumbai: PIL Filed In Bombay HC Seeking Ban On DJs, Dance, Music, & Laser Lights During Eid Milad-Un-Nabi Processions](https://mumbaipress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-1-22.jpg)
Mumbai: A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on use of DJs, dance, music, and laser lights during the upcoming Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions.
About The Plea Filed In The Bombay HC
The PIL filed by four businessmen from Pune – Zuber Peerzade, Siddiqui Alam, Amran Shaikh and Gousemoddin Shaikh – has urged the high court to direct municipal corporations to refrain from granting permission to use DJs, dance, music, and laser lights during the processions.
Neither the holy Quran nor Hadith prescribes the use of DJ sound systems and laser lights for celebrating Eid Milad-un-Nabi, nor did the Prophet himself advocate such forms of celebration, the plea asserts.
The plea, filed through advocate Owais Pechkar, has urged that all religious festivals celebrated in public places must adhere to the provisions of the Noise Pollution Rules, and no religion or sect can claim a fundamental right to use DJs, speakers, or noise-creating instruments as part of their rights under Article 19(1)(a) and 25 of the Constitution of India.
“The petitioners are distressed by the use of DJs and Laser Lights beams during Eid-e-Milad un- Nabi celebration processions, which results in excessive noise pollution, violating regulations and disturbs the practice of a Muslim that affects the morality of Islam and infacts are against the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” the plea said.
Point Highlighted By The Plea
It highlights that despite high court directions to the State government, it has failed to control noise pollution during festival celebrations. Further, no grievance redressal mechanism has been created to address complaints regarding the use of DJs and laser lights during festivals on public roads.
No one is entitled to hold religious functions on the streets with loud systems and laser light beams, the plea emphasizes.
“No, one is entitled to claim that holding of religious functions / ceremonies on streets and footways is protected by Article 25 of the Constitution of India. No one has the fundamental right to play loud DJ sound systems and use hazardous laser light beams on a street, public road or footway by obstructing free flow of traffic as it is not an essential part of any religion and in particular of Islam,” the plea reads.
The petitioners made a representation to the authorities raising the issue, however considering that the Eid E Milad is round the corner, they approached the HC.
-
Crime2 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Bollywood1 year ago
Jawan Leaked Online! Shah Rukh Khan’s Film Falls Prey To Piracy Within Hours Of Release
-
International12 months ago
Asia Cup 2023: Body Blow For Sri Lanka As Lead Spinner Likely To Miss Final Against India
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Rakhi Sawant changes name to Fatima after her wedding with Adil Khan Durrani – Check viral Nikah pics
-
Crime2 years ago
‘You must stop this’, SC expresses concern on hate speeches made at Dharam Sansads
-
Bollywood1 year ago
With Rs.75 Cr, Shah Rukh Khan Breaks His Own Record As Jawan Beats Pathaan On Day 1 At Box Office
-
Bollywood2 years ago
Anushka Sharma starts shooting for her ‘Chakda Xpress’
-
Bollywood12 months ago
Jawan On OTT: Shah Rukh Khan’s Film Sold To Netflix For A Whopping Rs.250 Crore