Carnac Bridge Renamed as Sindoor in Mumbai

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the newly rebuilt Carnac Bridge in Mumbai, which has now been renamed Sindoor Bridge. The name change honours the success of Operation Sindoor, a recent military operation against terror camps in Pakistan. The renaming also aims to remove the colonial legacy of British Governor James Rivett-Carnac, who ruled during a time of oppression.

Renaming and Inauguration of the Bridge

The newly constructed Sindoor Bridge was officially opened to the public on July 10, 2025, by CM Devendra Fadnavis. The bridge, formerly known as Carnac Bridge, was renamed after Operation Sindoor to celebrate the bravery of Indian soldiers and to erase the colonial memory associated with Governor Carnac, who was accused of oppressing Indians during British rule.

Fadnavis stated that the renaming marks an important step toward removing symbols of colonial oppression, referencing writings by Prabodhankar Thackeray about Carnac’s conspiracy against Satara’s Chhatrapati Pratap Singh Raje and Rango Bapuji.

Bridge Construction Details and Delay

The 328-metre-long bridge has four lanes for vehicles and will help ease traffic in busy areas such as Crawford Market, Kalbadevi, and Dhobi Talao. The old two-lane Carnac Bridge, built in 1868, was demolished in 2022 after it was found unsafe in a structural audit.

The construction was completed on June 13, 2025, but the opening was delayed due to pending work like signboard installation and No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Central Railway. Earlier, on July 2, both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) held protests against the delay.

Historical Background of Carnac Bridge

The original bridge was named after James Rivett-Carnac, the Governor of Bombay from 1839 to 1841. He was one of many colonial administrators whose names remain on infrastructure across India. The new name, Sindoor, is intended to reflect India’s present-day strength and break away from its colonial past.

CM Fadnavis explained that the term “Sindoor” not only marks the military victory but also symbolically wipes out dark chapters of history written under British rule.