Mumbai: Three-year delay ends, GMLR flyover to be opened today

This afternoon I visited the Ghatkopar- Mankhurd Flyover with AMC Velarasu ji. The 2.9 km long flyover will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ji tomorrow.
Over the past one year, we expedited this flyover, reducing the travel time in this corridor. pic.twitter.com/n1S1GOYNIw

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) July 31, 2021

After visiting the flyover site on Saturday, State Guardian Minister (Suburb) Aaditya Thackeray tweeted: “This afternoon I visited the Ghatkopar- Mankhurd Flyover with AMC Velarasu ji. The 2.9 km long flyover will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ji tomorrow. Over the past one year, we expedited this flyover, reducing the travel time in this corridor.”

The flyover’s construction was started in 2016. In February 2020, a proposal of cost escalation and deadline extension for the work was cleared by the standing committee. The cost of the project went up to Rs 713 crore from initial Rs 576 crore. The original deadline was January 2019. The BMC had also imposed a fine of Rs 40 lakh on the contractor for delay.

Officials said the delay occurred mainly due to construction of an additional arm for Deonar dumping ground. “The arm for Deonar dumping ground is also ready and it will help garbage vans to reach the site seamlessly. The entire flyover will provide much relief for the motorists using Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road,” said another official from the BMC.

Earlier, a controversy arose over the flyover’s name as Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale had demanded it to be named after Sufi saint Khwaja Gareeb Nawaj Moiunnidin Chisti. The BJP had opposed it and sought it to be named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

On July 29, a proposal was cleared in a works committee meeting to name it after Shivaji Maharaj.