Nagpur: Raising alarm over a looming disaster, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday stepped in and registered a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to safeguard the Adivasi Gowari Shaheed Flyover at Sitabuldi. The court’s intervention comes amid blatant violations, with heavy vehicles brazenly plying on the structure that was strictly meant for light vehicles.
Built exclusively for cars and two-wheelers, the flyover was equipped with height barriers to keep out buses, trucks, tankers, and other heavy vehicles. But repeated collisions have left the barriers mangled, and since contractors’ earlier bills remain unpaid, no new barriers have been installed. This neglect has turned the flyover into a free passage for private buses, JCBs, transit mixers, and even petrol tankers.
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In a chilling incident, a tanker carrying 23,000 litres of petrol rammed into the broken barrier. Luckily, tragedy was averted, but officials admit the situation could have led to a massive inferno in the heart of the city.
Authorities passing the buck
Instead of acting swiftly, the Nagpur Police and Public Works Department (PWD) are locked in a blame game. PWD officials claim they repeatedly urged police to deploy personnel at both ends of the bridge to deter heavy vehicles, but the request was ignored. Within days of barrier installation, reckless drivers smashed through them unchecked. Contractors, meanwhile, have refused to replace barriers, citing unpaid dues from the World Bank unit of PWD.
Experts had cautioned during the flyover’s construction that permitting heavy vehicles would drastically shorten its lifespan and compromise its safety. Yet, trucks, excavators, and luxury buses continue to thunder across it daily.
High Court’s intervention
Taking serious note, a division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Ajit Kadethankar has appointed Advocate Ashish Choure as amicus curiae and directed him to prepare the PIL within three weeks. The court has made it clear that a permanent and foolproof solution is essential to prevent a catastrophe.
The suo motu move by the High Court underscores the gravity of the situation, as civic apathy and bureaucratic wrangling threaten the very survival of one of Nagpur’s busiest flyovers.
