Mumbai: Upgrade work at Charni Road puts commuter lives at risk

Work on the landing of the new foot overbridge at the northern end of Charni Road is inconveniencing commuters as the structure cannot be accessed directly from the heavily used slowline island platforms 2 and 3 at present Lack of clear communication on the part of officials meanwhile is leaving commuters confusedRailway officials have said there was no alternative for commuters due to the stationrsquos peculiar layout but said work would be completed in 45 days in a timebound manner and promised to improve signage and communicationA commuter crosses tracks at Charni Road station on Monday to avoid the bridge at the ChurchgateendSources said a staircase connecting platforms 2 and 3 to the new bridge could not be built as remnants of the old bridge which is being demolished and a signal cabin stand in the way The work of removing the old structures and building a staircase to the new bridge will be completed soonWhen midday visited the station on Monday the old bridge had been removed and the parts of the older staircase were being cut open The only way to access the middle island platforms is via a bridge at the Churchgateend which is narrow and old This has led to some commuters crossing the tracks and trespassing High drama prevails at the site with RPF personnel standing by to discourage commuters from doing such thingsAlso read Andheri assembly bypoll BJP withdrew as it sensed defeat says Sanjay RautConstruction of the foot overbridge underway at Charni Road station on Monday PicAshish RajeldquoOne realises only after one reaches the platform or the new bridge that the staircase at the Virarend is missing The problem is that there is no signage or any personnel at the spot to inform commuters about thisrdquo commuter Prashant Singh saidCommuters said the bridge at the Churchgateend has steelplate flooring is shaky and rattles badly as trains passTrain users Vignesh Sunder and Shilpa Nayak have slammed authorities over the lack of facilities at Charni Rd stationHowever railway officials said that the bridge which was built as a lightweight structure was perfectly safe and was regularly audited and inspected ldquoA new bridge connecting all platforms will come up soon at the centre of the stationrdquo an official saidThe station layoutThe station had four bridges one of which has been razed Another offers connects the east and west leaving only two bridges at the station that link platforms The one at the Virarend lacks connectivity to platforms 2 and 3ldquoThe problem at the station is commuters on the island platforms 2 and 3 do not have access to the Virarend bridge leaving them stranded The other bridge at Churchgateend is very narrow With just one bridge available the situation at the station is chaotic during rush hoursrdquo a commuter Rajiv Mashruwala saidWestern Railway officials said that the closure of the bridge is a temporary measure ldquoThe old foot overbridge at the north end of platform 2 and 3 of Charni Road station has been closed since October 5 in order to dismantle both spans of the existing foot overbridge and construct of a link connecting the newly constructed foot overbridge and the platforms in 45 days It will be completed in a timebound manner and we will look into how we can put up more signage and spread awarenessrdquo Western Railway chief public relations officer Sumit Thakur saidlsquoRaising issues for past 7 yearsrsquomidday had been highlighting complaints from local residents and commuters after which the railways initiated work on the new upgraded bridge and skywalkMumbai Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar who visited Charni Road station last week faced a lot of complaints from irate residentsldquoWe thank midday for highlighting the issue but the work has been very slow and needs to be expedited More ticket windows need to be set up at the Churchgateend including on the skywalk Does a political leader have to visit the station every timerdquo asked local activist Gaurav Sagwekar of Amhi Girgaonkar which has been spearheading the campaignldquoOur cityrsquos guardian minister came and went Tomorrow someone else will come This will continue but there is no solutionCitizens are being looted in the form of taxationrdquo Shilpa Nayak secretary Amhi Girgaonkar added Vignesh Sunder a Girgaon resident said ldquoHow many more politicians will visit the station The Amhi Girgaonkar team has been raising its voice about infrastructure issues pertaining at the station for seven years but there has been no satisfying outcomerdquo03No of functional bridges at Charni Road station5Day in Oct when the stationrsquos old bridge was closed