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DNA Rain Check: Central Railway, BMC unable to start culvert widening this year

The work is stalled as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the CR authorities have failed to meet an amicable technical solution for the augmentation of drains.

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The commuters of the Central Railway (CR) will continue to suffer this monsoon as the work of storm water drains (culverts) widening at 15 crucial water logging locations will not start before the heavy downpours begin. The work is stalled as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the CR authorities have failed to meet an amicable technical solution for the augmentation of drains.

After the Elphinstone Road station stampede hit the city last year, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had conducted joint meetings with the railway authorities and the civic body to accelerate the pending projects of widening the crucial storm water drains (SWD) in railway premises (culverts) in order to avoid flooding of the railway tracks.

"The BMC had sent 29 proposals to the Central and Western Railways three years ago to widen the culverts but there were technical difficulties found by Railways and the project was proceeding in a languid pace," said V Khandkar, BMC's Chief Engineer (SWD).

"Thus, we decided to take help of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to find an amicable solution. But the IIT's experts have not sent their report yet. BMC has paid Rs 25 lakh to IIT", he added. As a result, the projects will not be taken up at least this year and flooding of the tracks is unavoidable.

PRIORITY CULVERTS

  • Out of the 29 locations identified where culverts need to be widened, 15 falls under the Central Railway  
     
  • Of the 15, CR and BMC had jointly finalised six culverts to be augmented on priority basis in Currey Road, Chinchpokli, Mulund, Sion and Kurla
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