23 March,2019 06:05 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
The Western Railway has built a roof on half the bridge, while the rest remains open
The BMC bridge at Dadar railway station has got half a roof, exactly like the one at Elphinstone at the time of the stampede. While the Western Railway has built a roof on its part of the bridge along with repairing the staircases, the Central Railway managers seem clueless about their role. The result is half the bridge being sheltered, and half of it open to the sun and rain.
Despite closed-door eight-hour-long meetings with all stakeholders, including the state government and BMC teams chaired by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for effective coordination and working, the ground realities remain much the same, with the Dadar bridge awaiting another tragedy.
Famously known as the Phool Market bridge
With no shade on half the bridge, commuters tend to crowd and rush towards the sheltered side that falls under the Western Railway. "This is exactly what had happened at Elphinstone which led to a stampede. Why can't the railways work as one unit instead of working in silos," SH Gupta, member of Zonal Railway Users' Consultative Committee said.
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CR to check feasibility
Central Railway officials said they were examining whether a roof on the entire bridge was feasible as it would add to the weight of the overall structure. "Once we examine the structural stability of the bridge, we will be able to decide on the roof," the spokesperson for Central Railway said.
Commuters are upset with the lack of coordination and have questioned the logic of structural stability, given that half the bridge has a roof. An inspection of the bridge, commonly known as the Phool Market bridge, by Western Railway last week found that it needed repairs. Ramps at platform 1 and the staircase at platform 2/3 are thus closed temporarily for the safety of passengers. Work on repairs will be completed in 90 days, railway officials said.
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