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.
Shiv Sena (UBT) recently placed a banner on the bridge demanding that it be called ‘Padma Shri Nana Patekar Setu’. The demand was followed by a delegation of party leaders meeting Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde earlier this week and submitting a letter in support of the proposal.
Shah had approached the authorities separately with a request to name the structure after Captain Machchhar, an Indian commercial pilot who was hailed globally after thwarting a violent mid-air hijacking of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight. The competing proposals have brought the bridge’s naming process into public and political focus before its formal opening.
Tawde could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts, according to the report. Ganesh Khankar, leader of the house in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, accused the Shiv 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 dispute comes as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s long-delayed bridge project nears operational use. The 650-metre-long, two-lane structure connects Ramchandra Chemburkar Marg on the eastern side of Vidyavihar railway station with Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg on the western side in Ghatkopar.
According to the BMC, 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, forming the road connections on either side of the railway station.
The project also includes access links connecting the bridge with the station’s footpaths. The civic works cover the reconstruction of ticket booking offices, the station master’s office and staircases at the station, the BMC said.
The bridge is intended to provide a direct east-west connection across the railway station area, linking two important roads in Vidyavihar and Ghatkopar. However, the available report does not specify the date on which the bridge will open to traffic or identify which authority will take the final decision on its name.
The immediate next step is the civic administration’s consideration of the competing naming requests before the bridge is opened for public use.
