A political dispute has erupted over the long-pending Chinchoti bridge project in Vasai East, with BJP MLA Sneha Dubey-Pandit alleging that the approval process was stalled by Sharad Bhagali, while Bahujan Vikas Aghadi corporator Jyotsna Bhagali rejected the charge and said her family had consistently pursued the work.
The dispute has brought renewed attention to a bridge that connects the Vasai and Chinchoti areas and is considered important for local traffic. The existing bridge is reportedly in a dilapidated condition, while the route carries a significant volume of heavy vehicles linked to the expansion of industrial areas in the vicinity.
The road also sees increased use during the monsoon, when tourists travel towards Chinchoti waterfall. Residents have therefore been seeking the completion of a new bridge for several years, citing the condition of the old structure and rising traffic volumes.
The latest exchange followed MLA Sneha Dubey-Pandit’s visit to a public Ganesh festival committee in the Chinchoti area. During the visit, residents raised concerns about the bridge. The MLA said the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation had approved the project and that it would be completed with funding of about Rs 4 crore.
According to the report, Dubey-Pandit also alleged that Sharad Bhagali, the husband of corporator Jyotsna Bhagali, had halted the process of approving the project’s rates. The supplied report does not include documentary details about the approval file, the rate-approval stage or the municipal timeline for awarding and starting the work.
Responding to the allegation, Jyotsna Bhagali told the media that former MLA Hitendra Thakur and her husband, Sharad Bhagali, had themselves followed up on the project. She described the MLA’s allegation as baseless and claimed that the BVA representatives had worked continuously to move the bridge project forward.
The competing statements have turned the bridge into a political contest over who secured its approval and pursued its implementation. The exchange has taken place against a practical infrastructure concern: a deteriorated bridge serving heavy vehicles, industrial activity and seasonal tourist movement.
The project’s next steps, including the status of the rate approval, tendering and construction schedule, remain unclear from the available information. The municipal corporation’s implementation timeline and the release of the proposed Rs 4 crore funding will determine when work on the new Chinchoti bridge can begin.
