Railway services return to normal on central tracks in Mumbai

Train services were back to normal on Monday after a day’s disruption on the Down slow track between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Byculla.

The Central Railway suburban services were thrown into disarray after a wall collapsed at Sandhurst Road station around 5.50am on Sunday.

“Work of rebuilding the retaining wall was completed by 2am for an estimated expense of Rs2 lakh,” Srinivas Mudgerikar, chief public relations officer, Central Railway, said. This, however, is a stop-gap arrangement, and another wall is likely to be built later.

“We will be demolishing half of the affected building to ensure that the railways can build a proper concrete wall. The foundation of the building has been affected, and the railways want some portion of it to be demolished. Later, we will seek a no-objection certificate from the railways to reconstruct the building,” ZU Siddiqui, executive engineer, Mhada, said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of residents and their elected representatives. “Since the residents are poor, we will be raising funds to construct their premises,” local MLA Amin Patel said.

Mhada on Monday evacuated all tenants from the affected building. They can return only after the building is rebuilt in six months or so.

The residents were offered transit accommodations in Dharavi, but some insisted that they be allowed to live in the vicinity. “Since our children live here, we have asked Mhada if we can stay here in temporary dwellings,” Sachin Mali, one of the residents, said.