Except for finishing touches the construction of the FOB was completed in March this year. Sanctioned over three years ago and built at a cost Rs 2.95 crore, the bridge runs from east to west across the station and connects all platforms. Modelled on the Dadar footover bridge which was inaugurated recently, the 10 metre wide bridge has neatly tiled flooring and polished railings on the staircases. Even the indicators have been functioning for the last one month.

But barricades put up across the entrances to the bridge have prevented commuters from using the bridge. This, at a time, when nearly three lakh commuters use the station during the peak hours and crowd into the two other bridges on the station. Ironically, the new footover bridge ismeant to alleviate the pressure on the two other footover bridges.

``It is just like the Union Ministry, the framework is there, but it is non-functional,'' said an official at the station.

However, the railway official claim that the inauguration has been held up since finishing touches are being given on the FOB's staircases.

Meanwhile, commuters at Andheri station continue to crowd into other bridges. Nearly seven lakh commuters use the suburban train network from Andheri, which caters to both the Western and Harbour Line, everyday. Not only is Andheri a major residential suburb, it is also the hub of commercial activity on the Western line especially with the development of an industrial area by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation nearby.

But work on the bridge has been progressing at a snail's pace. It took almost two months for the railways to cover the roof. ``The work can be completed in one night, but we are waiting for a note from the Railway Ministry regarding theinauguration to finish it,'' admitted a source.

With the entry of Ram Naik into the Union Railway Ministry, the construction of footover bridges and lengthening of platforms along the suburban railway took off on a war footing. In the past 12 months, both the Central and the Western Railways have organised over a dozen inaugurations of similar footover bridges and platforms, beside any new train that started from Mumbai.

With general elections to be held shortly, railway officials are worried that the inauguration of the bridge might be delayed indefinitely once the Election Commissioner's code of conduct comes into effect. ``The next Parliament sitting will not take place until late this year, so the only course open to us is open the bridge without any function,'' said an official.

Vinod Kumar Asthana, the Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, admitted that barring a few minor works on the staircases and roof, the bridge was ready for use. ``We will be commissioning the bridge within thenext few weeks,'' he claimed.