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Time of India

Mumbai's rail overbridge opens amid claims for political credit

Mumbai: As the BMC opened the Vikhroli rail overbridge (ROB0 —a key east-west connector—at 4pm on Saturday, political sparring broke out, with both the UBT Shiv Sena , the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the BJP rushing to claim credit for the project. The bridge saw political party flags and banners being displayed on it even before it was opened to motorists. The area is represented by Sena MLA Sunil Raut, who broke a coconut at the site on Saturday, signalling the opening of the bridge. The 615-metre bridge, which links Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg in Vikhroli to the Eastern Express Highway, was on the drawing board for the past 15 years, with the work order being issued in 2018. It was completed seven years later, in 2025. No formal inauguration ceremony was held, with the Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis proposing to open it on Saturday evening. It is a two-way bridge. One of the political banners, put up by MLA Sunil Raut, claimed he was pursuing the project with the BMC and Central Railway since 2010. Another, bearing a photo of deputy CM Eknath Shinde and attributed to local neta Haroon Khan, declared the bridge a victory of his protest. Khan told TOI that in 2010, he and local residents staged a protest that brought train services to a halt. "There were repeated cases of people dying while crossing the tracks. We decided enough was enough and protested on the tracks. It was only after we received an assurance that the bridge would be constructed that we called off the agitation," he said. However, former BJP MP Manoj Kotak said he consistently followed up with the railways and the BMC to push the bridge work forward. "Those claiming credit don't understand the complexities involved. From acquiring land on the eastern side to ensuring minimal disruption to students near the school on the west, we worked persistently with the authorities to bring the project to completion. While COVID caused delays, the work picked up pace again after the pandemic," said Kotak. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .