Raising concerns over the safety of passengers, the Western Railway (WR) has asked the civic body to remove and shift the overhead pipeline to the north of the Mahim Railway Station.
In a joint coordination meeting, the WR told the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that the rusted structure acts as a hindrance in remodelling the Mahim yard. The structure supporting the pipeline extends from Mahim West to Dharavi, crossing five rail lines. Sources in the WR said that this pipeline is old and rusty and can prove to be unsafe.
"The BMC has assured us that they will soon remove this overhead water pipeline. The process has already started," a Western Railway official said.This water pipeline is one of the main lines carrying water to the city. Sources in the WR further said that this pipeline will have to be relocated through some other point or will have to be placed underground.
The sooner the shifting happens, the quicker will be the remodelling of Mahim yard. This is necessary as the proposed sixth rail line between Santacruz and Mahim will pass through this junction. At present, due to the huge pillars and girders, on which the pipeline rests, there is little scope of shifting rail lines. There is also a stabling point at Mahim where trains are parked at night. Mahim is one of the important junctions on Mumbai's suburban network which connects the Harbour and Western lines.
The WR also asked the BMC to remove a dead load of paver blocks, cables and other things from its bridges. There are over 20 locations where this needs to be done. These steps are a part of the safety audit of bridges — which was undertaken with the help of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Meanwhile, the BMC has also had meetings with the Central Railway (CR) as part of its pre-monsoon work. The CR requested the BMC to install 27 high-capacity pumps this year instead of 19 as done in 2018. Also, it was asked to levy fines on slum-dwellers staying on 19 locations along the rail lines to curb littering on the tracks.
“The Central Railway has already cleaned 78 culverts and has desilted 113 km of drainage. The CR will also install 79 pumps,” an official said. The number was only 42 in 2018. These pumps help to pump out rainwater in cases of waterlogging. The Central Railway used drones to survey the ghat section from Karjat to Lonavala and Kasara to Igatpuri for vulnerable boulders dripping on to the tracks. An additional number of 252 Maharashtra Security Force Personnel will be deployed in to the existing 258 RPF personnel.
PURPOSE OF SHIFT
- In a joint coordination meeting, the WR told the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that the rusted structure acts as a hindrance in remodelling the Mahim yard
- The structure supporting the pipeline extends from Mahim West to Dharavi, crossing five rail lines
- Sources said this pipe will have to be relocated through some other point
- WR also asked BMC to remove a dead load of paver blocks, cables and other things from bridges
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