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Mumbai: Railways asks civic bodies to raze slums near tracks

Authorities feel heavy rains can cause illegal structures to collapse on railway tracks

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The Railways have identified over 25 such locations where multi-storeyed slums stand dangerously next to rail track. The BMC and Railways have also begun levying fines on these slum dwellers who dump garbage on tracks
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Slums next to rail lines are not just a concern for the authorities, but a safety hazard too. And so the railway authorities have asked the civic bodies to demolish slums that share its wall with the boundary walls next to the rail tracks.

In fact, the Western Railway has also appealed to the slum dwellers to address this issue, which otherwise could disrupt train services if it collapses on tracks.

The railway authorities are a worried a lot as they fear that in case it rains heavily then these walls – most of them made simply of brick – could collapse on the tracks.

On Saturday, the WR authorities had also issued a public notice stating, "Public residing nearby railway tracks are hereby informed that the loose structural portions of their hutments are safety hazards and endanger the safety of passengers as well as other public; especially during monsoon. An appeal is made to the public residing nearby rail tracks that loose structural portions should be repaired/removed by them for the safe running of trains."

Sources from the Railways said that at the recent pre-monsoon meet, the Railways asked the civic bodies to demolish these structures immediately. "We have identified the locations in between railway stations that are in a precarious condition. We cannot say that a particular structure is weak but then these ground plus one/two-storeyed slums share boundary wall with our premises and tracks," said a Western Railway official. Some of these locations are at Bandra, Mahim, Charni Road, Grant Road etc on the WR. On the Central Railway, some of the locations are near railway stations of Kurla, Sion, Govandi, Wadala, Sandhurst Road where is an encroachment. The Railways have identified over 25 such locations where multi-storeyed slums stand dangerously next to rail tracks.

The Railways also claim that these slums are one of the reasons behind garbage and filth dumped on tracks and rail premises. The Western Railway and Central Railway together have removed over 2.50 lakh cubic meter of muck until May 31. The BMC and Railways have also begun levying fines on these slum dwellers who dump garbage on rail lines.

CAUSE OF CONCERN

  • Sources said that at the recent pre-monsoon meet, the Railways asked the civic bodies to demolish these structures immediately
  • Officials claim that these slums are one of the reasons behind garbage dumped on tracks and rail premises
  • The WR and CR together have removed over 2.50 lakh cubic meter of muck until May 31
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