In the civic general body meeting, corporators have proposed building of hostels for relatives of cancer patients under the existing flyovers.
If corporators have their way, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon be building hostels below the flyovers as they want to make use of every inch of available space in the city.
In the civic general body meeting, corporators have proposed building of hostels for relatives of cancer patients under the existing flyovers. The plan, however, is against the standing technical advisory committee’s (STAC) suggestion of not allowing construction below flyovers.
Gautam Sable, the corporator who has put forward the notice of motion, said, “Cancer patients from across the country come to Mumbai for treatment. Many of them are poor and their relatives cannot afford accommodation in the city during the treatment. Cheap accommodation will be very helpful for such people.”
According to the proposal, BMC will charge minimal fees from relatives of cancer patients. “The space below the flyovers is easily available and can be utilised for this purpose. Normally, drug peddlers and beggars occupy this space,” added Sable.
However, the proposal will go against the state government appointed STAC recommendations for flyovers and bridges.
According to these recommendations, the space below the flyovers should be kept free for inspection of the structure.
“Though the intention behind the proposal is good, it is not practical. We require the space below the flyovers for their inspection. If we build hostels beneath it, we won’t be able to carry out inspections. In case a flyover requires immediate repair, the hostel will become an obstruction,” said a senior official from the roads and bridges department, BMC.
The BMC will put forward the proposal to the state government for further approval.
In its report last year, STAC had blamed the civic authorities for lack of proper management of bridges. The report found that technical sanctions for bridge designs were being given in a casual manner. “Despite the technical nature of the work, officials are not being trained in bridge engineering. There is no system of inspection of the bridges in place,” the report said.
The committee recommended a dedicated staff to plan and design the bridges in the city. The BMC later decided to do a periodic maintenance of bridges. Structural audits will now be carried out on all old bridges every five years. The newer ones will be audited after a gap of ten years.
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