The BMC has replied in a letter, a copy of which is with mid-day, that the place has no sewage line and that a lot of debris is lying there, leading to flooding. “It is stated that the area mentioned in the complaint comes under the jurisdiction of the railway department, and there is no drainage line network available at this place
The area outside Prabhadevi station that has been witnessing waterlogging during the monsoon season for the past six years. Pics/By Special Arrangement
For years, severe waterlogging has been witnessed outside Prabhadevi station. While the Railways and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been blaming each other for this, after a thorough inspection, the civic body has clarified that there is no drain line at the location, and that it is the sole responsibility of Western Railway (WR) to fix the situation.
Chetan Kamble of the organisation Chakachak Dadar said, “It has been six years of criminal negligence by WR. Right outside Prabhadevi station (previously known as Elphinstone Road station) — one of Mumbai’s busiest, most central locations — there is still no drainage line and six monsoons of flooding, disease, and public humiliation. Despite multiple inspections, BMC letters, and public outcry, WR has done nothing. Every day, thousands walk through sewage water. This isn’t a one-off; it’s a systematic failure. In the financial capital of India, this is the ‘infrastructure’ we get.”
He added, “The BMC has also stated that ‘the area falls under WR. No drainage exists. Multiple reminders sent. No response’. This is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made civic disgrace. We demand the construction of a drainage system, site clean-up, road resurfacing, and streetlights. In short, action, and not another file note.”
Civic letter
The BMC has replied in a letter, a copy of which is with mid-day, that the place has no sewage line and that a lot of debris is lying there, leading to flooding. “It is stated that the area mentioned in the complaint comes under the jurisdiction of the railway department, and there is no drainage line network available at this place. Also, at present, a lot of garbage and debris are seen lying at the place and due to this, rainwater accumulates during the monsoon season and causes a lot of trouble for pedestrians. The said matter has been repeatedly brought to the notice of the railway administration and the BMC’s assistant municipal commissioner has also repeatedly instructed them at a joint meeting on June 16 along with repeated correspondence and reminders, but no action has been taken,” a letter from the municipal assistant engineer, solid waste management, said.
Official Speak
WR officials said that the station and the surrounding areas have been taken up for upgrade under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, and as a part of the expansion, the railway colony buildings have been demolished, creating over 1600 square metres of open space. “We have found that the sewer and stormwater drainage system of this area is very old and is not working, and hence, water stagnates in this area during rains, so the drainage in this area has to be improved. A new state-of-the-art system is being developed to weed out the problem once and for all,” a WR official assured.
The area outside Prabhadevi station that has been witnessing waterlogging during the monsoon season for the past six years. Pics/By Special Arrangement
“In addition to this, more facilities, including a pay-and-use toilet block, public parking and a completely new road, will be created. A lift is also planned at the north-end foot overbridge. Other peripheral works include repairs to the boundary wall. In addition to all this, some of the space will also be exploited commercially and put to use for commuters,” he added.
Asked about the matter, WR Chief Spokesperson Vineet Abhishek told mid-day, “The years of development around Prabhadevi has affected the drainage. Further, improvement of drainage work on railway land is planned after the monsoon season to avoid road-user inconvenience.”
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