Charni Road FOB closed for pedestrians amid safety concerns
The BMC will prioritize the repairs of the FOB at the north-end of Charni Road station, which was closed on Tuesday after structural defects were found in its deck (Inset Picture Courtesy: Mehul R. Thakkar)
A week after closing the skywalk near Bandra station, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shut the foot-over-bridge at Charni Road road citing safety concerns.
According to reports, structural defects were detected in the deck below the FOB prompting its closure. The bridge connects the north-end of Charni Road station to the gate of Saifee Hospital.
Only a small portion of the FOB requires repairs, which the BMC plans to undertake on priority. However, it has not confirmed by when the structure will be reopened for pedestrians.
The closure is bound to inconvenience thousands of commuters, including those heading towards Hinduja College or Saifee Hospital, who will have to opt for the bridge on the south end of the station.
In 2017, the staircase on the south end of the bridge had partially collapsed, leaving a senior citizen injured. Following the mishap, the BMC rebuilt a portion of the bridge.
Earlier this year, the civic body ordered a structural audit of all FOBs in the city after seven people died in the collapse of Himalaya bridge outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in March.
It is also set to audit all skywalks in the city, in collaboration with experts from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), after a recent mishap in which panels of a skywalk near Bandra station fell due to strong winds, leaving three women injured.
