Mumbai: One year on, Mulund residents still waiting for vital FOB to be rebuilt

Pedestrians bemoan absence of east-west connector, ask authorities to expedite work

Mulund residents have requested the authorities to expedite the building of a foot overbridge (FOB) across the railway station, which has been closed for over a year now. The structure was the only one that pedestrians could use to cross from the east to the west without having to buy a ticket. “We want to know the status of the foot overbridge. Why it is taking so much time? Does building a single FOB take so long?” advocate Sagar Devre, a local resident and activist, asked.

mid-day had exposed how the 50-year-old pedestrian bridge had been corroded due to rotting vegetables and fruits left behind by hawkers and illegal alterations by a public toilet contractor. The bridge was subsequently repaired, upgraded and opened by the Central Railway (CR) for about six months in 2023.

CR had assured the public that under a replacement plan, a new FOB was to be constructed seven metres away from the existing structure towards the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-end and only after the commissioning of the new FOB, the old one would be dismantled. Nevertheless, the repaired bridge was pulled down, leaving commuters without an alternative.

“What kind of Gati Shakti is this? This is Tortoise Gati. I visit the worksite every two days and there is no progress. If the newbie Gati Shakti unit is unable to do the task, they should transfer the work to CR,” passenger activist Madhu Kotian said. In 2018, CR managed to construct an FOB at Masjid Bunder in a record 33 days. 

“The Mulund bridge is a key connector for all pedestrians travelling from the east to the west. Its reconstruction should not take so much time. If the earlier bridge had been upgraded, why was it demolished before a new one was constructed? The removal of the structure has led to a lot of inconvenience. The next pedestrian bridge after this is near Apna Bazar at the CSMT-end and the road overbridge at the Thane end,” passenger activist Rajesh Gupta said.

Official Speak

CR officials said that the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation had taken up the overall development of the station and added an elevated deck and multiple new bridges which led to a change in the plan. “The east-west bridge is being built by the Prime Minister’s Office’s Gati Shakti unit of the Mumbai division and work on the foundation, column and girder fabrication has been completed. Of 40 columns, 24 have been erected,” a CR spokesperson said.

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