Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, on Friday, June 21, inspected cracks that appeared after heavy rainfall on the Atal Setu sea-over bridge, which is also known as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) in Navi Mumbai. The MTHL bridge begins in Sewri, South Mumbai, crosses Thane Creek north of Elephanta Island, and terminates at Chirle near Nhava Sheva in Uran taluka. The damage was noticed on Friday morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it earlier this year in January.
Gulfroz Mujawar, Senior Police Inspector (Traffic) of the Nhava Sheva unit, informed that the crack was noticed on Friday morning. "The crack developed along the side shoulder of the approach ramp at Shivaji Nagar before the toll plaza," said Mujawar.
Access to the Atal Setu is at Shivaji Nagar near the Ulwe node in Navi Mumbai. On Friday night, the region, which comes under Raigad district, experienced intense rainfall. "Due to the heavy rainfall, the fissure developed on the road," said Senior PI Mujawar, adding that work on filling the crack is underway. However, the cracks on the newly constructed road raised questions about the quality of the work. Several users of the Atal Setu expressed their frustrations.
When inspecting the Setu, Patole said, "The cracks denote that people's lives are in danger."
Nana Patole Inspects Cracks on Atal Setu Road
Nana Patole attacked Prime Minister Modi, saying only three months ago, PM Modi inaugurated the bridge and has cracked on it. He said this crack will create an atmosphere of fear among travelers. "It is very worrisome that the "Atal Setu" bridge, which was inaugurated by Narendra Modi only three months ago, has cracked. A large number of cracks have created an atmosphere of fear among the travelers," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This comes after a newly constructed bridge collapsed in the Araria district of Bihar, leading to the suspension of three engineers from the rural works department on Wednesday. Patole said, "While the incident of the collapse of a newly constructed bridge in Bihar is fresh, many question marks are being raised on the work of the government as this shocking incident has come to light in Mumbai as well."
"I inspected this bridge with my colleagues to expose the corrupt practices of the government as part of the Congress party agitation. The matter is very serious and we demand that the Hon'ble High Court should take immediate notice and investigate the matter," he further said.
PM Modi inaugurated Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu in Navi Mumbai in January this year. He also toured the photo gallery and showcase model of Atal Setu.
While the capacity of India's longest sea bridge is around 70,000 vehicles, around 27,000 vehicles use it daily. MTHL Atal Setu was constructed at a cost of more than Rs 17,840 crores and is a 21.8 km long 6-lane bridge with about 16.5 km over the sea and about 5.5 km on land. It is the longest bridge in India and also the longest sea bridge in India.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) spokesperson responding to the same said, "There have been rumours circulating about cracks on the MTHL bridge. We want to clarify that these cracks are not on the bridge itself but on the approach road connecting MTHL from Ulwe towards Mumbai."
"During an inspection by the Operation and Maintenance team on June 20, 2024, minor cracks were found on the road surface near the edges at three locations on Ramp 5 (the ramp towards Mumbai). These cracks are minor and located along the edge of the road," MMRDA added.
"It is important to note that these cracks are not due to any structural defects. They are minor longitudinal cracks in the asphalt pavement, which can be effectively repaired without impacting the life or performance of the pavement."
"The Package 4 contractor, M/s Strabag, has already commenced repair work, which will be completed within 24 hours. This work is being carried out without causing any disruption to traffic."