Commuters move barricade themselves as Sion bridge stays shut hours after inauguration

Commuters lost patience on Thursday afternoon at the Sion railway overbridge, which was not opened to the public even after its inauguration. About 100 two-wheeler riders who wanted to go from Sion station towards Dharavi pushed aside a heavy concrete barricade and made a way for themselves.

A municipal official present near the bridge said the formal inauguration took place between 1 pm and 1.30 pm. However, a pandal on one side of the bridge had to be removed by evening, so the bridge would be fully open to the public only between 5 pm and 6 pm.

At around 1.45 pm, riders gathered near the road linking Sion station and Dharavi got off their vehicles. They began to move the concrete barricades blocking the entry point. They finally managed to push one block aside, leaving enough space for two-wheelers to pass.

Commuters waiting for the bridge to open expressed anger at the authorities. They asked what the use of an inauguration was if a bridge that had been closed for more than two years could not be used afterwards. A motorist travelling from Dharavi to Sion said: "We do not understand why traffic was not allowed once all the government events were over. We had no option but to take matters into our own hands. We would have had to suffer one more day, and that too for no reason."

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, also inaugurated the Vidyavihar east-west bridge and the Goregaon connector of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) virtually in the afternoon. But traffic was restricted at both places until late evening, which frustrated commuters eager to use the new facilities.

The Vidyavihar bridge remained closed because decorations put up for the inauguration ceremony had to be removed. Narendra Dabholkar, a resident of Vidyavihar West, said: "I was happy that the bridge had finally opened. But they did not let us use it even at 7 pm. I was there at the time and the barricades had still not been removed."

In Goregaon, the connector route from Film City towards Dindoshi court was closed until evening because a pandal had been set up on the road. Locals were angered by this. Himani Rajput, a struggling artist who lives near Oberoi Mall, said: "With this connector open, I hope it will now be easier to reach Film City for shoots."

Despite the initial trouble, commuters on the whole welcomed the opening of all three bridges. Sanjay Mahadik, a Vidyavihar resident, said: "East-west travel was a daily struggle, because until now we had to go via the Eastern Express Highway or the Eastern Freeway. Both roads are packed during office hours. This bridge will save us a lot of time and make the daily commute easier."

Bharati Rane, who travels by road from Ghatkopar to Sion Hospital every day, said: "Traffic around Sion is extremely troublesome during office hours. This bridge should make crossing this stretch much easier. We had been waiting for this bridge for a long time. I regret that traffic was not started right after the inauguration. But once the bridge is running, daily commuters, especially all the students coming from Dharavi to Sion, will get great relief."