Mumbai: Declared dangerous, but these bridges are still operational

It does not take lengthy and unending audits to inspect dangerous structures along Mumbais railway line A simple survey done by midday has revealed how a dilapidated dangerous substation and at least two unsafe bridges shut for public use continue to stand over busy rail lines that ferry around eight million passengers every dayWhile the railways pat their backs over IITcertified audit reports and taking up minor repairs here and there these dilapidated structures continue to stare commuters in the faceOn Western Railway foot overbridges at Matunga Road and Bandra top Stand dangerously over WRs main line that ferries over 1300 trains dailyOn the Central Railway CR line one such structure is the old 1500 V Direct Current DC substation between Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg It stands precariously with the support of metal props and has been marked dangerous in bold letters warning everyone to stay away from itIt is located between two railway corridors that ferry the densest of crowds the mainline fast locals and the mail and express trains leaving Mumbai While the main line ferries 858 local trains on weekdays the mail and express line see over 50 trains dailyAlso ReadCST foot overbridge collapse Pulled up engineers blame contractorThe old 1500V Direct Current substation between Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg has been marked dangerous in bold letters warning everyone to stay away from it but has not been demolishedOccupied by druggiesWhen midday visited the site it was occupied by urchins and drug addicts who have made it their safe haven The situation is similar in other abandoned DC power substations at Mulund and Ghatkopar These substations fell into disuse after the Central Railway was converted into AC power traction mode in 2015Is the railways waiting for a disaster to happen Why do such things need to be told to them asked Subhash Gupta of CRs Zonal Railway Users Consultative CommitteeThe foot overbridge at Bandra station that has not been dismantled yetAlso ReadMumbai Civic body makes a Uturn blames auditing agency for mishapDismantle shut bridgesOn Western Railway WR foot overbridges at Matunga Road and Bandra that have outlived their age and declared unsafe and shut for public use have been in the process of demolition for quite a few months now They are standing dangerously over WRs main line that ferries over 1300 trains daily Both the old bridges have been built by the erstwhile Bombay Baroda and Central India RailwayThe old 1500 V Direct Current DC substation between Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg has become a safe haven for urchins and drug addictsWhile the railways have built alternative bridges in its place it is important to dismantle older ones for public safetysaid Shailesh Goyal of WRs Zonal Railway Users Consultative CommitteeResponding to the issues regarding the structures CR officials said they will try and dismantle the structures before monsoon A WR spokesperson said The dismantling of structures involves taking a block and stopping trains It shall be done in a phased manner as soon as possible without inconvenience to commutersNo lessons learntAfter the heritage pillars at CSMT were damaged last year during a protest march which led to subsequent uproar organisers of a trade union repeated the act on Monday by tying up the stage support and other banners to a heritage pillar in the UNESCOlisted heritage building It seems as if no lessons were learnt from last years incident to rectify which the Central Railway had to spend a significant amount of moneyAlso ReadAzad Maidan cops desperately seeking professor who last audited the CSMT foot overbridgeCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates