Work on the proposed Chinchoti bridge in Vasai East has triggered a fresh political dispute between the BJP and the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, even as residents continue to seek action on a long-pending connection used by heavy vehicles, industrial traffic and seasonal tourists.
BJP MLA Sneha Dubey-Pandit has alleged that the bridge project was delayed because Sharad Bhagali, the husband of BVA corporator Jyotsna Bhagali, stopped the process of approving the project rate. The MLA said the bridge had been approved by the municipal corporation and would be built with funding of about Rs 4 crore.
The allegation was made during the MLA’s recent visit to a public Ganesh festival मंडal in the Chinchoti area, where residents raised their concerns about the bridge. According to the report, local residents described the long delay in resolving the issue and sought early progress on the project.
Jyotsna Bhagali rejected the allegation and said she, her husband Sharad Bhagali and former MLA Hitendra Thakur had consistently pursued the bridge work. She described the MLA’s accusation as baseless and claimed that the BVA leadership had itself worked to move the project forward.
The dispute has therefore shifted attention from the project’s implementation to a political contest over who secured its approval and pursued it. The competing claims have been made by the two political sides and do not establish, on their own, which administrative stage may have caused the delay.
The existing Chinchoti bridge is reported to be in a dilapidated condition. The route carries substantial heavy-vehicle traffic, while the expansion of industrial areas around the locality has increased vehicle movement. The road also sees higher use during the monsoon season from tourists travelling towards Chinchoti waterfall.
The bridge is an important link between Vasai and the Chinchoti area, making its condition relevant not only to nearby residents but also to industrial transport and visitors using the route. However, the available report does not specify a construction start date, completion deadline, contractor or the exact administrative status of the proposed work.
The immediate official next step remains the municipal process for rate approval and implementation of the project. The competing political claims have brought renewed attention to the bridge, but the work’s progress will depend on the remaining approvals and the municipal corporation’s execution timeline.
