Aditya Thackeray slams Maha govt for booking him in 'illegal inauguration' of bridge

Mumbai, Nov 18 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray hit back at the Maharashtra government for booking him and other party functionaries in connection with the alleged 'illegal inauguration' of the Delisle Road bridge in his Worli Assembly constituency, here on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, the Mumbai Police have filed a case against Aditya Thackeray, Sachin Ahir and Sunil Shinde, all legislators, two ex-Mayors Kishori Pednekar and Snehal Ambekar, along with other party workers who had stormed on the bridge late on Thursday night and symbolically inaugurated it in public interest.

Slamming the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s arguments that opening the bridge like this for traffic could have led to mishaps, Thackeray Jr. countered by asking: "Why no action is being taken against anybody for the large number of accidents and deaths occurring on the Mumbai Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway since its inauguration last December."

He also attacked the BMC Commissioner I.S. Chahal and asked him to first take action against two Cabinet Ministers who have "encroached" inside the civic headquarters before targeting others.

"If I am being booked like this for doing something for the larger public good, then my grandfather Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray would be very proud of me," Thackeray Jr. added.

Following the 'illegal inauguration', a BMC road department officer Purushottam P. Ingle, 43, lodged a complaint with the N.M. Joshi Marg Police Station on November 18. Investigating Officer Meghna Burade said that an illegal crowd of 20 other unidentified activists removed the barricades in front the ESIC Bhavan at the beginning of the unfinished bridge without prior permission of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and trespassed on the bridge.

"I have a complaint against them for the opening of the bridge and allowing some vehicles to pass through it, causing danger to the lives of the motorists," Burade added. The BMC authorities have contended that such an unauthorised 'inauguration' of a bridge that is not fully completed or certified by the concerned department could cause avoidable mishaps or accidents.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut castigated the government and police for the 'politically motivated' action against its party leaders.

On the other side, the ruling Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande hit out at Aditya Thackeray accusing him of continuous political interference which is delaying crucial infrastructure projects in the city.

The dilapidated Delisle Road bridge was shut down in July 2018 after it was declared unsafe for traffic movement and then a new one has been constructed in its place, with several delays plaguing it in the past five years.