New age, award winning bridge will connect Mumbai to Mainland in eco-friendly manner
The ATAL Bridge
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the ATAL Bridge that seeks to connect South Mumbai to the Indian mainland in a few ways. It is a landmark bridge that has also seen the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) guiding the project. It is also symbolic of ex-PM ATAL's efforts to bridge Bharat and Its Bhavishya (Future)
The Flamingoes Feel At Home
The project thus far looks to have addressed most of the concerns that ecologists have had regarding a project of this enormity. Migratory birds including the colourful flamingoes that flock to the 'mudflats' in the trans-harbour region (that the bridge straddles) will not be impacted by the project.
A Glorious Past & A Modern Future
The project has already won awards during its construction including the prestigious International Safety Award in 2019 from the British Safety Council. With a host of features including Intelligent Transportation Management Systems slated to be integrated, this ATAL Bridge is symbolic of Bharat's efforts to connect to a prosperous and modern future without having to belittle or sacrifice its glorious past. (Readers may recollect that Bharat is the longest surviving culture known to humankind, two of Humanity's oldest surving languages Tamil & Sanskrit, and of course, a host of modern ideas in science and technology having had its roots in the sub-continent.)
Really Bridging Bharat
It is striking too that the bridge is being named after India's ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It had been under Atalji's leadership that India managed to seriously dream of an administration that would not have to sacrifice its ancient cultural legacy to be seen as democratic.
Golden Quadrilateral Heralded Golden Times
Under Atalji, India launched its first ever massive infrastructure project to connect the corners of the country with the Golden Quadrilateral project. While a few other bridges already bear his name, this Mumbai Trans-harbour bridge may literally and figuratively be symbolic of the Modi administration's relentless drive to continue the work that Atalji in a small way started.
May Ram Rajya Be Ushered In
Ensuring that India is at the forefront of nations in development without forgetting its past. A quote wrongly attributed to Winston Churchill may be relevant here. 'A Nation That Ignores Its Past Has No Future'. Of all the regimes one has been following, the current dispensation (if it can avoid in a few ways, instances like the Bilkis Bano tragedy) and its mindset looks likely to help Bharat usher in 'Ram Rajya', literally and figuratively.
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