Piyush Goyal visits Parel railway station, echoes commuters' concerns

Piyush Goyal

In a surprise visit to Parel station, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday echoed the sentiments of Mumbai's commuters, when he directed railway officials to remove stalls, water-vending machines and other unnecessary objects that have clogged the CSMT-end of the station, narrowing the platform.

Climbing the Parel railway footbridge, Goyal pointed out the difference in height of steps on the staircase, and asked officials to fix them. He also asked the Railway Protection Force personnel who keep whistling at commuters to direct them, to keep their cool and allow them (commuters) to walk peacefully and questioned their presence. In fact, the personnel have been posted at Parel and Elphinstone stations to manage crowds on the footbridge. Goyal also directed officials to have escalators at both Parel and Elphinstone stations.

The CSMT-end of Parel station has also been crowded with a large number of shoeshine boys, fruit sellers, book stalls, police seating benches and canteens, narrowing it down and dangerously crowding the platform. Several complaints from commuters about this have fallen on the deaf ears of Central Railway officials.

Goyal, who travelled in a local train from Sion to Parel, inspected the work on the army bridge and said he proposed to throw open all three army bridges to the public after inauguration by a Mumbaikar. Army officials told Goyal that it will take three weeks to complete the bridge at Parel.

Goyal said that roping in the army has brought in a change in the mindset of railway officials in Mumbai, as they have managed to complete work on five footover bridges within record time.

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