Meanwhile, Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde has asked the Thane collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar to stop illegal sand mining near Mumbra bridge since such activities are making the structure weak, thereby putting railway passengers at risk.
Collapse of the Mahad bridge in Savitri river has brought to fore the condition of all old bridges and the need to figure out if at all they are still fit enough for use. In fact, the state government has ordered structural audits as well as stability tests of all the bridges in the state.
Meanwhile, Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde has asked the Thane collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar to stop illegal sand mining near Mumbra bridge since such activities are making the structure weak, thereby putting railway passengers at risk.
"There is a lot of illegal sand mining and dredging going on from Kopar to Mumbra on the banks of Thane creek," said Shinde. "This activity risks the lives of lakhs of commuters who travel from as far as Badlapur, Ambernath, Karjat, etc., by railways," he added.
He points out that sand mining is weakening the foundation of the railway bridges on the creek and this can lead to their collapse anytime. "For instance, due to mining at Mumbra, water reaches the Mumbra bridge during high tide. And the sand near the bridge is washed away during low tide," he said, adding, "This has weakened the foundation of the bridge. And similar activity is on from Diva to Kopar."
If this is not stopped, he said, then there is a possibility of a Mahad-like accident soon.
When contacted, Dr Kalyankar said that they have been taking action against illegal sand miners and dredgers at regular intervals. "We have flying squads to bring these violators to book. And now, we have intensified our drive against them," he added.
According to him, from January till July 30, Thane collectorate has seized 152 cranes, 145 suction pumps, 198 boats, four dredgers, one hydra machine, one pick-up tempo and three trucks from illegal miners. They have lodged 124 first information reports (FIRs) and levied fine of over Rs25.27 crore, out of which Rs2 crore has been collected till date. They have also seized sand worth Rs1.12 crore. From April, 996 trucks illegally transporting sand have been seized and a fine of Rs3 crore collected from them.
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