Railway fee hike sparks fresh uncertainty over Mumbai's Elphinstone Road bridge demolition

Repair work underway at Elphinstone Bridge. File pic

The long-pending demolition and reconstruction of Mumbai's Elphinstone Road Bridge may face fresh delays as a new dispute over wayleave charges has emerged between the railway authorities and the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Maharail).

A month after Western Railway demanded Rs 59 crore from the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Maharail) as a wayleave levy before allowing the demolition of the Elphinstone bridge, Central Railway has this week raised its own fee demand from Rs 10 crore to Rs 47 crore before granting any blocks for demolition.

A meeting between senior officials of both railway zones and Maharail is underway on Friday to resolve the escalating financial disagreement.

Officials indicated that unless the matter is settled, the demolition schedule could be pushed further, potentially impacting the long-awaited redevelopment plans meant to improve commuter safety and traffic flow.

Western Railway had last month raised a Rs 59-crore fee related to the reconstruction, which had been disputed by Maharail, saying that the amount was excessive.

However, the Maharail had also mentioned that, as per Railway Board rules, the fee should be calculated only on the portion of work supervised by respective railways.

Railway officials also said that the new fees are as per the revised norms of the railway board.