The Bombay High Court today stayed further construction of a foot over bridge in central Mumbai after a school for the blind in the locality opposed it stating that it would cause inconvenience to its students.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which had issued tenders for the construction of the bridge to file its affidavit in reply to the petition by January 17.
Until then, the court restrained the private contractor RPS Infra Private Ltd to stop the fabrication work being carried out by it for the bridge outside the school.
The petitioner 'Happy Home and School for the Blind' at Worli in Central Mumbai sought cancellation of the construction on the grounds that the civic body's decision was "arbitrary" and "perverse".
According to the petition, the school was built in 1925 and has been helping students with visual and other physical disabilities. In 2011, the BMC decided to construct the bridge to eliminate vehicular and pedestrian conflicts as well as increase safety in the area.
The school made representation to the civic body seeking to stop the construction. In June 2013, the BMC informed the school that the bridge would not be constructed.
However, in December 2013 construction resumed following which the school approached the High Court. The school claimed that a similar foot over bridge planned outside the building of the National Association for the Blind was cancelled.
Further, students coming to the school would be inconvenienced.
