Mumbai’s newly constructed East-West Vidyavihar bridge has become the centre of a naming dispute ahead of its opening to traffic, with Shiv Sena (UBT) seeking the name of actor Nana Patekar and BJP MLA Parag Shah proposing that it be named after Captain Smit Machchhar.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) recently put up a banner on the bridge demanding that the structure be named “Padma Shri Nana Patekar Setu”. Days earlier, Shah had approached the authorities with a request to name the bridge after Captain Machchhar, an Indian commercial pilot who was hailed for thwarting a violent mid-air hijacking on a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight.
A delegation of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders also met Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde earlier this week and submitted a letter seeking the name for Patekar. Tawde could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts, according to the report.
The dispute has brought the civic process for naming a major public structure into focus just as the bridge is nearing operational use. Ganesh Khankar, leader of the house in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), accused the Sena (UBT) of creating a controversy to claim credit for the naming proposal.
“Nana Patekar was one of the most talented actors in the country. I feel that it would be more fitting to name a large theatre or a theatre complex after him rather than a bridge,” Khankar said.
The East-West Vidyavihar bridge is a 650-metre-long, two-lane structure connecting Ramchandra Chemburkar Marg on the eastern side of Vidyavihar railway station with Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg on the western side in Ghatkopar. The project has been delayed for a considerable period, according to the report.
The BMC said a 100-metre section of the bridge passes over railway tracks. Its approach roads measure 220 metres on the eastern side and 330 metres on the western side. The project also includes access links connecting the bridge with the railway station’s footpaths.
Station-related works are part of the project as well. These include reconstruction of ticket booking offices, the station master’s office and staircases, according to the civic body. The connections are intended to link the new road infrastructure with pedestrian movement around Vidyavihar station.
The naming proposals have been made before the bridge is opened to traffic, but the supplied report does not identify a final decision by the BMC or another authority on the structure’s official name. The next step will depend on the civic administration’s consideration of the competing requests and the bridge’s formal opening.
