BMC architects will now submit a detailed layout and design plan for the entire SATIS project within a month. mid-day had been consistently highlighting the chaos outside Kurla East station, after which the former chief minister, Eknath Shinde, approved the SATIS plan for the station in 2024
A heavy crowd is a common sight at Kurla station. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
The Kurla station decongestion SATIS (Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme) plan finally made progress on Tuesday, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) holding a high-level meeting to iron out ground-level issues. Following the discussions, BMC architects will now submit a detailed layout and design plan for the entire project within a month. mid-day had been consistently highlighting the chaos outside Kurla East station, after which the former chief minister, Eknath Shinde, approved the SATIS plan for the station in 2024.
On October 17, 2022, mid-day reported ongoing issues at Bandra and Kurla — two of Mumbai’s busiest stations with high foot traffic and pedestrian movement, that had long been neglected. The article ‘How crowding at Bandra and Kurla stations can be fixed’ had suggested that implementing a SATIS plan could effectively segregate and streamline both traffic and pedestrian flow. SATIS focuses on the mass dispersal of passengers outside stations to ease congestion. It includes comprehensive station-area development to ensure quick and efficient movement.
Speaking to mid-day, local MLA and Shiv Sena leader Mangesh Kudalkar said, “It has now been decided that various plots around Kurla East station, such as the civic market department plot and the BEST depot plot, will be integrated into the SATIS layout for smoother execution of the project. Following the discussion, the BMC chief has issued directives to prepare a combined and integrated layout of the market plot, BEST depot plot, and the SATIS project, and submit it within a month.”
On a parallel development, Kudalkar mentioned that the Central Railway has granted all relevant permissions for the construction of a road overbridge over the Chunabhatti level crossing near the station. “Work on the ground will now soon begin,” he said. “These two projects are not just about development, they will bring radical, positive changes to the daily lives of citizens in the Kurla and Chunabhatti areas, and boost the all-around development of the Kurla Assembly constituency,” he added.
Kurla East station is poised for a major upgrade as the Harbour Line station is being elevated, with the Yellow Line Metro 2B Kurla station coming up just a few metres away. Additionally, the Kurla Signal Junction will feature an integrated station for both the Green Line 4 and Yellow Line 2B Metros.
Citizen Speak
Subhash Gupta, president of Yatri Sangh Mumbai and a regular Kurla commuter
“Finally, after many years, there has been some movement on this front. The SATIS project in the East is welcome, and it will improve walkability and seamless connectivity. But the focus must also shift to the west side of Kurla, where lakhs walk to work every day,” said Subhash Gupta, president of Yatri Sangh Mumbai and a regular Kurla commuter.
Jitendra Gupta, Kurla’s Citizen Transport Committee
“We need more options in the west, which is closer to the office and business district of BKC. A simple connection to LBS Road via Bhabha Hospital is unexplored. One critical missing link is a bridge connecting Kurla station from the Gol Building Junction via Bhabha Hospital or the Police Line. Bhabha Hospital, under BMC jurisdiction, is adjacent to the Kurla station boundary wall. Similarly, the Kurla Police Line compound wall, under the PWD, touches railway premises and Bhabha Hospital. Lack of coordination between these agencies and indifference of elected representatives is causing massive inconvenience,” said Jitendra Gupta from Kurla’s Citizen Transport Committee.
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