Mumbai train tragedy: Commuter body calls for 4-point upgrade to avert train crowding-related tragedies

Chief Security Commissioner Hemant Kumar (second from left) at Mumbra station shortly after the mishap occurred on Monday. Pic/Rajendra B. Aklekar

The Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, which had raised red flags about the possibility of a tragedy due to overcrowding on trains, on Monday stated that injured commuters must receive immediate and full medical attention.

"We had consistently raised red flags about the deadly stretch between Diva and Kalwa, widely regarded as a death track. Despite multiple warnings and representations to the divisional railway manager, general manager, and even the Railway Board, no sustainable solution has been implemented," Siddhesh Desai, a member of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, who had been featured in a mid-day series on commuters' woes titled Commute to Hell.

Madhu Kotian, president, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh

"After completion of two additional lines between Kalyan and Thane, commuters hoped for relief through additional services. Unfortunately, that commitment was later reversed by the DRM [divisional railway manager], who instead prioritised mail and express trains on these new lines," he said.

"The DRM must take moral and official responsibility for the deaths and injuries. The Railway Board should immediately stop interfering in Mumbai's local train operations, and Mumbai's suburban railways must be governed independently," Madhu Kotian, president of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said.

Siddhesh Desai, member, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh

Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh's demands

>> Immediate medical and financial aid to the injured
>> An exclusive four-track corridor between Kalyan and Kurla for suburban local trains
>> No mail/express trains on these lines during peak hours
>> A permanent, autonomous body for Mumbai local trains, free from the control of long-distance train operations