Passengers rescued in five-hours after train gets stuck at Badlapur

All 1050 passengers stranded on the MumbaiKolhapur Mahalaxmi Express which was stuck in deep water between Vangni and Badlapur stations were rescued yesterday following a multiagency operation that lasted over five hours Heavy rainfall all through Friday coupled with the overflowing of Ulhas river left parts of Badlapur under water bringing transport services to a complete halt The express was stranded at the spot since 3 am on FridayAlso ReadMahalaxmi Express update All stranded passengers rescuedTeams from the Indian Navy National Disaster Response Force Thane Disaster Management Cell Talthi Level Rescue Team and Badlapur Fire Brigade led the rescue operations Apart from this an escort party from the Central Railway the local city police and the RPF along with 100 boys from the nearby villages of Chamtoli and Kasgaon assisted with the rescue effortsPassengers use ropes to negotiate the waterlogged tracksRoad to safetyThe NDRF and Navy had around 12 boats that were being used to ferry people to the other side Some of the stranded passengers also used ropes manned by jawans to reach a safer sport Around 14 buses and three tempos had been arranged to take the evacuated passengers to Badlpaur and Kalyan stations from where they were to board trains to KolhapurWhile the nine pregnant women on board were evacuated using a special boat the NDRF rescue team took time to rescue passengers from one of the bogies as a few senior citizens were not ready to get into the boat Baghirathi Gavkar one of the passengers from the bogie said There were four senior citizens who suddenly panicked and refused to leave the train Some of us decided to use the rope to get out but these senior citizens stood at the door and refused to let us go It took over 30 minutes to convince themAlso ReadWatch video 700 passengers stranded in Mahalaxmi Express near BadlapurHowever passengers had to walk nearly four kilometres including climb a mucky hill after the rescue team dropped them to a safe destination Heena Kausar 23 who was travelling along with her ninemonthold baby said Climbing the hill with my baby who had fever was the most harrowing experienceLocal villagers were also seen helping passengers Apart from carrying their luggage to the buses and tempos they also made arrangements for autos to take the elderly who were finding it difficult to walkNDRF personnel help passengers get into the boatsA ninemonth pregnant woman Reshma Kamble had gone into labour on the train Confirming the development a spokesperson from CR said they had sent a team of doctors to assist her and she was later taken to BadlapurMahalaxmi Express WNC deploys teams to render assistance in flood affected areasWhat caused the floodingExperts pointed out that alterations of land use near the railway tracks is likely to have caused the flooding Raj Bhagat Palanichamy who works as a GIS and remote sensing analyst with World Resources Institute WRI India analysed the maps from 2003 and 2019 and found that the tracks were laid close to the floodplains of Ulhas river where a natural island has been seen altered for developmentPassengers were dropped to a safe zone from where they had to walk another 3 km before they could reach the buses arranged for themThe island has been affected by quarrying activity It seems they have built temporary roads in the island leading to the eastern banks which affected the flow of water Palanichamy said He added Governments need to identify demarcate and protect floodplainsVillagers help carry the luggage of passengersMaps from 2003 and 2019 showing how land near the railway tracks in Badlapur has been altered for quarrying activityCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates