Halav Pul to open for immersion day

Organisers of Ganesh mandals in Kurla and adjoining areas are a relieved bunch, as their prayers have been answered. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in a bid to ease visarjan woes will complete the construction of the arterial Halav Bridge before September 29 thereby ensuring mandals don't have to take the circuitous route to reach Sheetal talao for immersion of Ganesh idols.

Relief: The Halav Bridge in Kurla was demolished last year to make way for the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road

The demolition of the century-old iron Halav Bridge in Kurla (West) in November last year had mandal organisers worried, as taking the bridge was the easiest way to reach the talao for visarjan. But with the bridge demolished, mandals would have to take the longer route via LBS Marg to reach Sheetal talao. After several mandals, along with an NGO Athak Seva Sangh, appealed to MMRDA to complete the bridge at the earliest, MMRDA now plans to cast the second girder of the bridge.

"The Halav Bridge is an arterial bridge that many sarvajanik mandals in Kurla used to take every year during Ganeshotsav. Hence, we are trying to complete the girder launching at the earliest, so that mandals are not inconvenienced during their procession," said MMRDA
Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar.

With heavy traffic movement on the LBS Marg, mandals would have been greatly hassled trying to make their way through the notorious traffic with fears of getting stuck in traffic for long durations. Hence, opening of the bridge before the immersion would be a boon for the organisers of the mandals.

"We are ensuing temporary arrangements so that Ganpati idols can be taken for visarjan via the bridge. The remaining work will be completed after the festival," said an MMRDA official.

The bridge was demolished for the construction of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR).

The entire SCLR project is being executed by two state agencies - the MMRDA and the MSRDC.u00a0