30 September,2016 08:20 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
While encroachments along its tracks are hindering Central Railway's expansion plans, authorities haven’t put a date on when they will get rid of the slums; say its an ‘ongoing process’
Senior railway officials agree most of these encroachments are a vote bank and so there is hardly any will to clear them. Representation pic
Encroachments have always fallen on the wrong side of the tracks, especially when it comes to the Central Railway (CR), where they are standing in the way of their network expansion.
But, the authorities do not have an action plan to rid the tracks of these encroachments.
On September 12 mid-day had highlighted how CR's counterpart Western Railways (WR) planning to remove encroachments from their land for its rail line in the report âWestern Railway to raze encroachments around railway tracks for 6th line'. But CR seems to be sceptical about doing the same.
This is the situation despite a joint meeting between the state government and CR, which was chaired by railway minister Suresh Prabhu wherein making railway land available for projects and removing encroachments to facilitate the same was among the major points of discussion.
"That meeting was mainly to discuss stuck projects and for help needed from the state government to clear the rail land from encroachments. The removal of encroachments on rail land is an ongoing process," Akhil Agrawal, general manager, Central Railway told mid-day.
Vote banks
There are several stretches along the CST-Karjat-Kasara rail route that are occupied by encroachers.
Senior railway officials agree most of these encroachments are a vote bank and so there is hardly any will to clear them.
One of the biggest examples of the same is the Thane-Diva rail line where work on Rs 290 crore fifth and sixth lines was stuck for a long time now. Only recently the local civic body and the railway authorities cleared more than 450 illegally occupied structures and the much-delayed work has restarted. Encroachments are also eating into CR between Parel and CST. "We are facing issues in relief and rehabilitation of project affect people between Kurla-CST stretch which is being worked upon," added Agrawal.
