MUMBAI, Sept. 20 -- Having faced much opposition to its plan to demolish the seven-year-old Veer Savarkar flyover extension, locally known as the MTNL flyover, which was getting in the way of the connector between the Coastal Road's north stretch and the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), the BMC has gone back to the drawing board and is exploring alternatives. It was earlier considering bringing down the flyover extension and later building it back as a double-decker, with the Coastal Road-GMLR connector on the top deck. This comes just days after the crucial east-west connector in south Mumbai, Elphinstone Bridge, was closed for demolition, causing a traffic nightmare in the area. "The MTNL flyover is an extremely crucial connector in the heart of the western suburbs," said Deepak Thakur, who was the area's corporator when the extension was inaugurated at a cost of Rs.27 crore in 2018. "It is a westward extension of the Veer Savarkar flyover, going over the railway tracks connecting east to west, which is a great help for commuters looking to bypass the busy S V Road. Because it lands at the border of Goregaon and Malad, both sides use it, as well as those coming from further like Marve, Madh, Aksa, and even Charkop." Thakur was foremost in the line of political leaders who raised objections to the BMC's plan, noting that it had caused a furore among locals worried about traffic. This weekend, he, along with Vidya Thakur, MLA of the area, visited BMC officials with their concerns. "The officials assured us that other options would be explored which would not require the bridge to be demolished," said Vidya. Abhijeet Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (Bridges), said, "Taking into account the objections from local representatives and residents, we are looking at alternatives. The question we are facing, since the alignment of the MTNL bridge and Coastal Road-GMLR connector are parallel, is whether the double-decker bridge will rest on a single pier or separate piers. Previously, the option of the bridge on a single pier seemed most rational, but we are not limiting ourselves and are resurveying the area through our consultant." Another official from the bridges department explained that the MTNL flyover comes right in the middle of the alignment of the Coastal Road and GMLR connector, a link that will be instrumental in adding east-west connectivity from the arterial road being built along the city's coast. "We are still in the midst of analysing the conditions on ground, collecting data, and evaluating what would be the best course of action," he said, adding that the priority was obtaining the necessary CRZ permissions to be able to start full-fledged construction of the Coastal Road between Versova and Dahisar. Malad MLA from the Congress, Aslam Shaikh, too raised concerns about the increase in traffic if the MTNL flyover was demolished. "The bridge is a huge help for commuters in Malad and Goregaon and in between, and if demolished, it would cause a traffic nightmare," he said. "The BMC should consider an alternative way for the connector that doesn't disturb the flyover." Pratik Salgaonkar, a regular commuter, said that both Malad and Goregaon would have to bear the brunt if the flyover was demolished. "Before the extension, the junction at Veer Savarkar flyover used to be one of the slowest in the city, the one-km stretch taking 20 to 30 minutes to cross," he said. "There will be chaos if the recently constructed MTNL flyover is demolished," said former corporator Sandeep Patel....