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Railways optimistic on land encroachment front

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The railway administration is optimistic that the enhanced cooperation between Union and state governments (both with the BJP) would help in removing encroachments on railway land.

Both Central and Western Railway authorities believe that with the new government clearing projects like never before, there would be emphasis on railway projects that require considerable state help. It's well known that most railway projects in Mumbai have their fair share of land (encroachment) problems.

Railways' optimism stems from developments like the one on Thursday when chief minister Fadnavis cleared two metro railway projects, with a cumulative cost of Rs 40,000 crore, in the very first meeting of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, that he chaired.

"Removing encroachments is one area which requires extensive state help, as police may be required to prevent adverse law and order situations. More often than not, the state frowns on such anti-encroachment drives because it always hurts political interests of one or the other side. Hopefully, a pro-active attitude (by the state) towards infrastructure projects will help railways, which has a lot of its lands under encroachment," said a top railway official.

The process of reclaiming encroached railway land can be a tedious one, said officials. Since 2011 (till the middle of this year), CR has managed to remove 12,037 encroachments from its lands. WR, from August 2011 to October this year, has removed 3,076 encroachments.

However, there is a long way to go, said officials. WR, between Churchgate and Dahanu, has some 3.5 hectares (35,000 sq m) of encroached land. CR, much bigger than WR in area, has some 4.7 lakh sq m of encroached land.

In fact, the thin line railway bureaucrats need to walk while heading anti-encroachment drives was evident in October last year. A couple of days after WR carried a massive encroachment removal drive on the eastern periphery of Malad and Kandivli stations, the then chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan, raised the issue at a railway function held at Lokmanya Tilk Terminus. Chavan asked the then railway minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, also present at the event, to ask his officials to be 'humane' when it came to removing encroachments even if it was being done to facilitate some project.
Railway officials viewed this as a polite way of asking overzealous officials to stay out of such drives.

Removing encroachments:
Central Railway

2011-12: 3,662 structures
2012-13: 4,512 structures
2013-14: 3,863 structures
Total: 12,037

Western Railway
2011 Aug-Dec: 104
2012: 925
2013: 1,153
2014 (till Oct): 894
Total: 3,076.

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