GRP audit finds more than 40 per cent of the 500-odd stalls across Western, Central and Harbour railway lines pose a safety risk that could result in a stampede or a fire hazard
The audit was conducted to check whether the stalls or shops had valid licences, followed fire safety norms. Pic/Atul Kamble
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Following a safety audit of over 500 commercial establishments in railway premises, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has asked agencies to take action against 218 stalls, including 133 in Mumbai city, for violating rules. GRP commissioner Niket Kaushik sent letters to the railways, BMC and other agencies some days ago regarding the same.
Kaushik confirmed the letters have been sent to various government agencies and said the survey was done because the safety of the passengers is important. The GRP officials started the audit at Dombivli station a week ago and found four stalls either operating without a valid licence or having a licence but being run by another operator. After this, GRP started the audit for the Mumbai metropolitan region.
The audit was conducted on the Western, Central and Harbour railway lines to check whether the stalls or shops had valid licences, followed fire safety norms, and if their position was inconvenient for passengers.
Checked them out
On the Central line, GRP checked 105 stalls/shops in the CSMT division, while 99 were checked in the Kalyan division. On the Western line, 157 were checked in the Bandra division, and 112 in the Vasai division. Twenty-eight stalls were checked on the harbour line. Oddly, some stalls were closed but their structure remained.
Apart from the railways, the GRP has written to various civic bodies to take action against stalls as per rules. This includes 133 stalls/shops in Mumbai, for which they have written to the BMC, and eight stalls in Thane, the letter for which has been sent to TMC. Apart from these, action has been recommended against 41 stalls in Kalyan-Dombivali, four in Ambernath, nine in Ulhasnagar, one each in Bhiwandi, Panvel, Vasai and Virar, and seven in Palghar and 4 in Dahanu.
The audit was conducted to check whether the stalls or shops had valid licences, followed fire safety norms, and if their position was inconvenient for passengers. Pic/Atul Kamble
Three reasons for change
Three reasons were given for recommending action against the stall. The first one was the stalls leading to overcrowding, which could lead to a stampede during peak hours similar to the one at Elphinstone Road. The second reason was establishments operating without proper fire safety being potential disasters, while the third one was about the many of them occupying space that would inconvenience passengers. Most of these stalls are food, tea, book stalls or those selling small articles.
Also read: Central Railways plans to spend Rs 25 crore on restoring CSMT to its original glory
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