In a viral video on X with the caption ‘Andheri ka Andher’, stand-up comedian and lyricist Varun Grover makes fun of engineers and officials for ‘misjudging’ the height difference between the Gokhale Bridge, which was partially reopened to traffic in February following its collapse in 2018 and Barfiwala Flyover. He quips that officials have realised their ‘error of judgement’ years later and decided to rebuild the bridge. Indeed, the bridge reconstruction, which cost Rs 900 million, has sparked off a debate on who is responsible for causing the gap of about 6 feet between the bridge and the flyover.A key connectorThe citizen welfare forum Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), was founded by advocate Trivankumar Karnani and since the Gokhale Bridge was in larger public interest, he found it imperative to intervene.“The Gokhale Bridge plays a crucial role as an East-West connector for a population exceeding 1.5 million,” says Karnani. “Although partially closed since 2018 and fully closed since 2022, its existence remains vital. The partial reopening has already shown a significant reduction in traffic congestion.”The VJTI report  “Following the collapse of Gokhale Bridge in 2018, BMC implemented biannual audits for all city bridges,” says Karnani. “During a routine audit, it was discovered that the old bridge was unsafe, necessitating its demolition. Surprisingly, the bridge should have been demolished in 2018 itself, as indicated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report instead of the substantial amount spent on repairs.”Meanwhile, according to RTI activist Anil Galgali, “There was a need to demolish the old bridge as the railway passes under it but before demolition, planning and study were necessary. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is responsible for the current situation.”A report by VJTI  Mumbai, commissioned by the BMC, states that both arms of the Barfiwala Flyover are in a structurally sound condition. Thus, to merge it with Gokhale Bridge, the last four sections of the flyover will have to be lifted and the pedestals adjusted to match the new height of these sections.Nevertheless, why did officials fail to anticipate the height difference to begin with? “The height difference between the two was known since the submission of drawings to the railways for approval,” responds Karnani.“Someone was coming to the bridge and giving instructions and the officers were working under that pressure. So they did not estimate the distance between the flyover and the bridge. This is human error. Responsibility for this should be accepted by the competent authority of the department so that such blunders do not occur in future,” says Galgali.  Proactive preventionHow, then, can mistakes like this be avoided in future? “There is no mistake in the alignment of the bridge, I reiterate,” asserts Karnani. “The issue is poor planning. To prevent this, elected representatives and citizens must come together and ensure enough pressure on the civic body. The BMC’s Bridges Department has to share progress charts and provide routine updates to people. Many citizens highlighted this height difference months in advance. The government should sack those who wasted precious years. The BMC should set strict policies over deadlines and hold contractors and engineers responsible for delays, along with monetary penalties.”“It is necessary to involve citizens at the local level before beginning construction as they can assist in addressing constraints as soon as work starts. Once the plan is approved, new changes should be avoided,” says Galgali.Ultimately, the issue here is not just a gap of a few feet but the wide chasm arising from a lack of transparency, causing distrust between the public and officials and raising questions about the casual approach to the use of taxpayer money.One way to bridge that gap would be to create bridges that stand the test of time.  - R SRINIVASAN