Commuters queue up to enter and exit CSMT

Rescue work in progress after a foot overbridge near a train station collapsed in south Mumbai, Thursday, March 14, 2019. The bridge connected the bustling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station with the Azad Maidan Police Station. Pic/PTI

With Dr DN Road blocked for traffic and pedestrians, after the FOB opposite CSMT fell on Thursday, access to the station from its north end became a problem on Friday. There were serpentine queues of commuters to reach it from the adjoining footpath, monitored by the RPF.

The road remained shut throughout the day, and the railways also shuttered most of the entry/exits with only two small gates at the Thane-end of CSMT booking office kept open.

In a goodwill gesture, the management of Anjuman-I-Islam opened their gates for pedestrians and office goers, and it proved to be very helpful to many coming from the lane behind The Times of India building. The BMC is pulling down the remains of the FOB before traffic can resume. "For the first time, I saw queues to enter Mumbai CSMT. The queues were very long and moved slowly, but since the demolition is on, no one complained much," Kiran Jangam, a commuter, said.

Another commuter, Soni Redkar, said that the BMC should have done the work at night when there is no traffic. RPF Senior Divisional Commissioner KK Ashraf said they had to ensure that there was no stampede-like situation.

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