’Cracks not on Atal Setu but on ...’ — MMRDA rejects Nana Patole’s claims as workers repair road in a jiffy

Rejecting allegations levelled by Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday said there are no cracks on the Atal Setu sea bridge, but only minor cracks on the approach road to the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) in the Ulve area in Navi Mumbai.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu sea bridge, also known as MTHL, connects south Mumbai with the satellite city of Navi Mumbai.

The MMRDA's clarification came after Nana Patole earlier in the day alleged corruption in the construction of the Atul Setu sea bridge, saying that cracks appeared within months of its inauguration.

“There have been rumours circulating about cracks on the MTHL bridge. We want to clarify that these cracks are not on the bridge itself but on the approach road connecting MTHL from Ulwe towards Mumbai,” said MMRDA, the nodal agency for the project.

The MMRDA also urged people not to believe the rumours.

"It is also very important to note that the cracks are not due to structural defects in the project and do not pose any threat to the structure of the bridge," ANI quoted MMRDA as saying.

Meanwhile, the authorities have started work to repair the cracks in the MTHL's service road in the Ulve area.

Kailash Ganatra, Project Head, Atal Setu PKG 4, said that the area where cracks appeared is a service road. “It was like a temporary connecting ramp. This is the connecting part of the main bridge which was made at the last moment because the coastal road was not made. This is near the gulf and because the soil gets settled, these are minor cracks.”

He further added that the work of filling these cracks is already underway. "It will be completed by tomorrow evening. No traffic is disrupted. There is no inconvenience to the public," Ganatra said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the MMRDA, calling the explanation shameful.

"In any other country in the world, such a shameless explanation would have been avoided and if at all given, the project head would have been suspended," Aaditya said.

Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also reacted to the Congress' charge and claimed that there were no cracks on Atal Setu.

"With the help of lies, the Congress party has made a long-term plan to create a rift. During elections, they talked about changing the Constitution, after elections, they talked about unlocking EVMs through phone and now such false talks.

"Only the people of the country will defeat the corrupt behaviour of the Congress," Fadnavis added.

The six-lane bridge, which is 21.8 km long and has a 16.5 km sea link, was built at a cost of ₹17,840 crore.