Mumbai, Sept. 12 -- The Elphinstone Bridge, a crucial connector between Parel and Prabhadevi, will be closed from 12 am on Saturday to facilitate its demolition and make way for the upcoming Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector. The Mumbai Traffic Police, in a notification issued Thursday evening, outlined several traffic diversions and restrictions to manage congestion during the demolition (see graphic). The closure of the bridge is expected to significantly impact road traffic, especially in the congested Parel area. It passes over two railway stations, Prabhadevi and Parel, on two different railway lines, used by 500,000-700,000 commuters daily. The bridge is surrounded by several buildings, some decades old and others housing some of Mumbai's swankiest offices. Not far from the bridge are residential areas and schools, as well as prominent hospitals like the Tata Memorial Hospital and KEM Hospital, which are frequented by tens of thousands of people daily. As HT previously reported, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) initially planned to commence the demolition work in February. However, the bridge's closure was repeatedly postponed for various reasons, including class 10 and 12 board exams and, more recently, objections from residents of 19 buildings flanking the bridge, who demanded a fair rehabilitation scheme. Following several discussions with the affected residents, including one on Thursday, the MMRDA said it has revised the project route to ensure the demolition of the bridge affects only two of the 19 buildings. The office of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the MMRDA chairman, announced on Thursday evening that 83 affected families from the two affected buildings-Haji Noorani Chawl and Lakshmi Nivas Chawl-will be relocated to Mhada flats in the same locality. "Earlier, a total of 19 buildings were to be affected for this project, but MMRDA made structural changes to ensure that 17 buildings would not be affected by the project route and changed the route, which not only facilitated the rehabilitation of the residents but also saved an estimated Rs.5,200 crore on rehabilitation," read a press statement from Shinde's office. However, despite the new rehabilitation plans, tensions remain high. Many of the 50 residents who attended Thursday's meeting with MMRDA walked away frustrated, saying earlier promises-such as cluster redevelopment for all 19 buildings-remain unfulfilled. Residents of the 17 other buildings said they face threats, too. Some of these buildings are over 100 years old, making the residents worry about their structural stability. The new bridge would also be very close to the buildings, hampering their redevelopment potential, they said. Sarika Kadam, a resident of Baug-e-Kausar, said, "All the attention right now is on the two buildings where the pillars are going to come. But our buildings, too, will be affected. If they demand that we move out immediately, what will we do? We will not leave without written assurance."...