Cracks seen on Atal Setu sea bridge just months after inauguration, alleges Patole; cries corruption
Mumbai, Jun 21: 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 BJP as well as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), 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 (MTHL), 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.
Patole also claimed that all environmental norms have been set aside for the Navi Mumbai International Airport as mangroves have been destroyed.
Reacting to the Congress leader's allegations, BJP said on X that the cracks seen are not on Atal Setu but on the road leading to the bridge.
Immediate repair works were undertaken, it said.
"Stop maligning Atal Setu," it said.
The MMRDA issued a statement saying, "There have been rumours circulating about cracks on the MTHL bridge. We want to clarify that these cracks are not on the bridge itself but on the approach road connecting the MTHL from Ulwe towards Mumbai."
During an inspection by the Operation and Maintenance team on June 20, 2024, minor cracks were found on the road surface near the edges at three locations on Ramp 5 (the ramp towards Mumbai), it said.
"These cracks are minor and are located along the edge of the road. It is important to note that these cracks are not due to any structural defects. They are minor longitudinal cracks in the asphalt pavement, which can be effectively repaired without impacting the life or performance of the pavement," it said.
The contractor has already commenced the repair work, which will be completed within 24 hours. This work is being carried out without causing any disruption to traffic, the agency added.
Viral | Atal Setu inaugurated by PM in January this year has developed cracks & fissures in the very first rainfall it faced, Lokshahi channel exposes. pic.twitter.com/M4uvPT30rD
— MUMBAI NEWS (@Mumbaikhabar9) June 21, 2024
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Plea about 'threat' to Rahul Gandhi filed without his consent, to be withdrawn: Lawyer
Pune, Aug 13 (PTI): Hours after filing a plea in a court here claiming apprehension of threat to Rahul Gandhi from the followers of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the Congress leader's lawyer on Wednesday said it was filed without Gandhi's consent, and would be withdrawn.
He will submit another application on Thursday to withdraw the `Pursis' or the application filed before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, said Advocate Milind Pawar.
Pawar is representing Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over certain statements made by the Congress leader against the late freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue.
He drafted the application without consulting Gandhi and the latter has taken a "strong exception to the filing of this Pursis and expressed his disagreement with its contents", the lawyer said in a press release late in the evening.
The application filed by advocate Pawar earlier in the day said that complainant Satyaki Savarkar had admitted that he is also a direct descendant, through maternal lineage, of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, principal accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and recently held a press conference in Delhi, placing before the nation evidence of electoral fraud by the Election Commission, the application said.
"Furthermore, during the parliamentary debate on the subject of Hindutva, there was a heated exchange between the Prime Minister and Shri Rahul Gandhi, a matter well known to the public. Against this backdrop, there is little doubt that the complainant, his great-grandfathers (the Godses), those connected with the ideology of Vinayak Savarkar, and some followers of Savarkar who are presently in power, may harbor hostility or resentment towards Gandhi," the application said.
"In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage, and considering the prevailing political climate, there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting by persons subscribing to the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar," the application stated.
The Pune court has already granted bail to Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The trial is yet to begin.
Reacting to the development, Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, Satyaki Savarkar's lawyer, asked why the application was filed in the first place. "This is nothing but an attempt to delay the trial by moving such frivolous pleas," he said.
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
No such incident ever took place, and V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere, the complaint claimed.
