Mumbai: Mulund elevator pit fixed

The elevator pit after the civic body cleaned it up; (right) Barricades recently set up by the Railways

Within 24 hours of mid-day reporting on an abandoned elevator pit at Mulund station, the Railways and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sprung into action. While the civic body has cleaned up the pit, Railways has barricaded it with metal sheets. The pit had been lying unattended for nearly a year and the residents had complained that it had become a garbage dump. Residents had expressed fear of spread of diseases in the monsoon season as such ignored spots in open spaces and along roads are hazardous to health.

The elevator pit at Mulund railway station before and after the civic body cleaned it up

"On behalf of the municipal administration, I would like to clarify that the lift pit has been cleaned by BMC workers who visited the site. The construction work at the site is under the Railways' jurisdiction, and the railway authority is responsible for this issue. However, BMC staff have cleaned the pit. Additionally, representatives of the municipal administration met with railway authorities to inform them about the complaint and address it. Following this, the railway authority stated that the pit would be closed by the contractor until further work is completed," a BMC spokesperson said.

Barricades recently set up by Railways

A railway official told mid-day, "We have closed and barricaded it completely on all sides now and there will not be any further nuisance." Asked about the completion of the elevator, senior railway officials at the divisional headquarters said that the lift structure had been finished but work had been stopped for now as the bridge itself was due for upgrade and reconstruction. "The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation has informed us that the foot overbridge on which the lift was to be connected will be reconstructed by them at the earliest," a senior divisional official said.