Click to play videoMumbai: The Bandra Worli sea link has finally been thrown open to public use, but not without facing several hurdles which delayed the project.
The sea link was conceived in 1999 to provide relief to the harassed Mumbai commuter in five years. However, the sea link hit roadblock after roadblock even before work on it started.
First it was the environmental groups and fishermen who said that the bridge would upset the marine ecology and affect their livelihood.
Numerous PILs opposed the sea link for a variety of reasons and by the time the matter was settled four years had passed and construction had not even begun.
The final design of the sea link was changed time and again before it reached its present form
The last roadblock was about the money. Spiralling costs led to a stand-off between the construction company HCC and the Maharashtra government about payment of pending dues.
All the delays pushed the total cost of the sea link up to Rs 1,600 crore, four times the original cost
So almost 10 years later with only four lanes of the bridge being thrown open to traffic for now and bottlenecks likely at the beginning and end points skeptics wonder if bigger challenges lie ahead.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
TOP NEWS
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
