Finally, BMC removes stalls outside Andheri (E) station to make way for auto ramp

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has removed 29 vendor stalls from the approach road of east side of the Andheri railway station, following High Court orders. Finally, the decks have been cleared for an autorickshaw ramp outside the Andheri station on the east side. The project that has been pending since 2013 will give better access to at least 5 lakh commuters every day.

The High Court had directed the civic body to take immediate action and remove the stalls to make way for the access road, which will in turn make way for the ramp.

Assistant commissioner of K-east ward, Devendra Jain, had sought police permission and protection before starting the action, to avoid any untoward incident. On Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the civic staffers and the policemen came together to remove the stalls.

Jain said the 9.15m wide road has existed in the Development Plan since 1967. The encroachments, however, were creating a hurdle. "We were trying to speak to the stall owners for a way out, but they approached the court. The issue has been pending for the last three years and the ramp was built a year-and-a-half ago.

Sub-engineer Ranjit Patil said those who opted for amicable settlement were given space under the Gokhale Bridge. "No one will have to face injustice. This action was necessary for daily commuters, as they face a lot of hardships," said Patil, who was on the spot handling the wrapping up after the removal of stalls. The stall owners had first approached the Dindoshi court, which ruled in favour of the civic body. Later, 19 stall owners approached the High Court.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Nazir, owner of a sugarcane juice stall, along with his partner Mansoor Ahmed, was waiting for the workers to remove his sheds, so that he could use the same frame below the Gokhale Bridge.

"This was a prime location. Our fathers started their business here. We are shifting to the space given by the BMC, but I don't think we would get much business there. But if this space is meant for public amenity, we have no choice but to make way," said Nazir.

TEAM WORK
Assistant commissioner Jain had formed a team of assistant engineer Anandrao Mohite, sub-engineer Ranjit Patil, junior engineer Krunal Bose, disaster Control staff Anil Naik and a force of labourers. At least 15-16 policemen were present during the demolition. "Most importantly, senior counsel representing BMC in High Court, Anil Sakhare, and his deputy presented a water-tight case in the court," said an official.

ABOUT AUTO STAND
The Rs 8-crore Andheri elevated auto-deck was a novel experiment in which railways used its airspace to reduce traffic snarls on the road outside its own territory. A brainchild of the construction department of Western Railways (WR), the plan included building a 100-metre elevated autorickshaw lane. The autos would enter from Swami Nityanand Road in front of the BEST depot in Andheri (E). They would then move on to a two-lane elevated deck built between the middle and north foot-over bridges (FOB) of Andheri station. The original plan was that autos would pick commuters, cross the north-end FOB and descend down a five-meter wide ramp to take a road beside the newly constructed railway police building near the metro station, before moving to MV Road. From here, the rickshaws would move to Andheri-Kurla Road. Unable to find a solution to how autos would cross the busy FOB, however, the WR decided to have autos return the same way as they came up from the Nityanand Road. Started in 2011, the project was to be completed by December 2013 but got stalled as the BMC was unable to clear the approach lane of shops till now.