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Build foot over-bridge before opening new lines: Vikhroli locals

A mob of residents and students of a nearby school squatted on the new tracks since 10.30am with the demand that they would not allow the trial convoy of senior officers to pass until they could hand over a petition for the bridge.

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The trial runs of the incomplete tracks between Kurla and Thane on Monday turned out to be dramatic event as Vikhroli residents staged a four-hour protest at the railway station demanding the railways first construct a foot over-bridge (FOB) after a locomotive ran over a commuter during a test run on February 10.

The trials being conducted by the commissioner of railway safety, Chetan Bakshi, were delayed by five hours due to the protest.

A mob of residents and students of a nearby school squatted on the new tracks since 10.30am with the demand that they would not allow the trial convoy of senior officers to pass until they could hand over a petition for the bridge.

The crowd blocked both the new lines till 2pm. The railways then sent a junior officer to deal with the crowd. The mob dispersed after being assured their demand will be met. The convoy passed the Vikhroli level-crossing gate around 3.30pm.

“The railways should build a wider bridge, and one which does not land on platforms as then it will require tickets. The railways should do this before they open the new lines,” said Terence D’Souza, who led the protest.

Central Railway services had come to a complete halt for over three hours after a mob of commuters, residents and NGO activists staged a rail-roko following the death of three people in separate incidents in Vikhroli due to train accidents in November last year.

Over 200 policemen had to be deployed to avoid a law and order problem, as the protesters sat on the railway tracks for two hours in the afternoon. There were minor clashes among rival groups and the police had to detain 32 people.

The railway police registered a case of accidental death in all three cases.

Meanwhile, Bakshi, who reports to the ministry of civil aviation, was not satisfied with the quality of work on the new lines and will oversee a second round of trials on Tuesday.

He conducted preliminary trials on the new fifth and sixth lines between Kurla and Thane, though they are not linked to the main lines yet.

The lines are connected between Thane and Vikhroli and beyond that they are still in isolation and cannot be put to use for trains from Kurla Terminus. Railway officials said that a major block is required at the spot to complete the pending work.

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