Criticise the railways’ big talk on monsoon preparedness while they have been forced to stand at platform no. 2-3 which is without a cover, for months
Commuters are forced to walk in the rain because of the missing roof at Vikhroli station
Commuters at Vikhroli station on the Central Railway have been suffering on platform no. 2-3 as its roof is missing. They have been especially troubled due to this in the rains. While preparations have been done to place the roof, the actual work has been pending, leading to commuter inconvenience at the height of the monsoon. Passengers have criticised the railways big talk of monsoon preparedness as they are forced to stand in the rain.
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‘Do a reality check’
“The railways need to do a reality check before the monsoon as to which stations require what amenities and see that they are completed before time. Now the worst of the monsoon season is over and still the roof work is pending. What is the use of monsoon preparations and surveys?” asked an angry Suchetra Rao-Yadgul, a commuter and resident of Vikhroli.
Central Railway officials said that the roof had been removed by a Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) team in January to build a new foot over bridge and will be put up soon. An old narrow bridge, which had been declared unsafe had to be demolished and a new one built. Also, the skywalk was being extended in the west side for better connectivity to the station.
When mid-day visited the railway station, we saw the new bridge is almost ready and the support of the roof is in place. But without the roof, commuters are forced to wait and walk in the rain.
“The railways must be waiting for the rain to go away hence the work is not done. In a large number of presentations, the railways always talks about completion of cover over platform, etc. but one visit on the ground reveals how false it all is,” a passenger association member said.
‘Sad and frustrating’
“It is very sad and frustrating to see that people have to bear the brunt of the absence of a roof, specially in the rainy season. I would request the concerned railway authorities to resolve this issue at the earliest. It is callousness on the part of the railway authorities. They should keep in mind the safety and comfort of passengers. The station is manned by RPF and GRP, yet there is no proper supervision and during the pandemic restrictions, it has become a residence for beggars 24/7,” Mario Rodrigues, chairman, Bombay Catholic Sabha, Vikhroli said.
Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said the work of the foot over bridge was being executed by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation and the cover over platform was removed for work. “The structure of the cover over platform had been completed, but sheets are yet to be provided by MRVC. The target date of completion is August 15, 2021,” he said.
MRVC officials said that they had taken note of the issue and the work would be completed very soon.
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