Cracks on Atal Setu just months after opening: Cong

June 21, 2024 19:32

A view of the Longest Sea Bridge Atal Setu in Mumbai/ANI Photo

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday alleged corruption in the construction of the Atul Setu sea bridge connecting south Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, saying that cracks have appeared on it within months of inauguration, posing a threat to people's lives.

Patole, who inspected the bridge during the day, claimed that the construction quality of the bridge was poor and that a portion of the road has caved in by one foot.

However, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which is the nodal agency for the project, said that the cracks were not on the bridge itself but on the approach road from Ulwe in Navi Mumbai.

The 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu', also known as the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, that connects south Mumbai with the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, was inaugurated in January this year.

Built at a cost of Rs 17,840 crore, this six-lane bridge is 21.8 km long with a 16.5 km sea-link.

Talking to reporters, Patole alleged that the state government has crossed all limits of corruption and put people's lives at risk.

"A portion of the Atal Setu bridge has developed cracks within three months of the inauguration and a half-a-kilometre-long stretch of the road near Navi Mumbai has caved in by a foot. The state has spent Rs 18,000 crore for the MTHL," he said.

"The bridge has been named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and yet the government indulged in corruption. This is very unfortunate," he said. -- PTI

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