Sand mafia digs out riverbed, weakens Vaitarna rail bridge

Itrsquos not just the distant northern states where the sand mafia is pinching the ground from under the citizensrsquo feet Not very far from the city the bed of the Vaitarna is quickly thinning and weakening a vital rail bridge over the river which connects Mumbai to Delhi ROBbing the earth With abutments to the RoBrsquos pillars slacking off due to the dredging trains have been barred from going beyond the speed sanction of 20 kmh while crossing the bridge This is to prevent further stress to the structure officials said below mounds of black soil piled up by the river Locals said mining is carried out in the twilight or dark hours PicsJay Mungekar Illegal sand mining is happening right under everybodyrsquos nose And the authorities in the metropolitan seem to have tightened their blindfolds as the pillars of the rail overbridge RoB at Vaitarna loosen what with the relentless dredging of black sand from the riverbed and areas near the banks Shaking the base After heavy showers have lashed Mumbai the past three months the Western Railway WR authorities are waiting for the dry season to begin repairs and maintenance of the Vaitarna bridge Over the months the structurersquos pillars have weakened and the ones most affected are those at the ends which take maximum load of tracks rail and trains passing above The condition is such that the sand under the water next to these vital pillars has loosened Officials from WR said the illegal miners often start dredging in the dark or dim hours Over the months they said so much soil has been removed that the weights around the pillars have been damaged at both ends of the bridge ldquoThe black soil accumulated on the banks of the river next to the pillars has been illegally removed This has weakened the loadbearing capacity to an extent and we want to start maintenance work postmonsoonrdquo said a senior WR official asking to remain anonymous The WR authorities will now rebuild the abutments to the bridge since its foundation has been enfeebled ldquoWe expect to complete the work by March 2014rdquo said another WR official By the side of this bridge another rail overbridge is being constructed longer than the existing one At the spot When MiD DAY visited the spot a few metres from Vaitarna railway station some locals were fishing by the banks A couple of them were inside the waters paddling towards the middle of the river Black sand was heaped close to the riverbed next to huge boats On the other side of the bank one could see a bare handful of shanties When MiD DAY asked the locals about the mounds of sand they said it had been lying there for days ldquoThe sand has been dredged from the river bank and it will be used for constructionrdquo said one ldquoThe work of removing sand had stopped due to some issues but the bosses at whose behest the work is done have asked us to stay here at the site We are only labourers and do what is askedrdquo Across the spot work on the new rail bridge was under way and labourers were pegging away The construction work had reached the water of the Vaitarna and pillars were being cemented A few metres away there was a police chowky and light bustle of twowheelers and pedestrians The weak link The bridge is among the first rail bridges that a longdistance train crosses as it leaves Virar Until recently this was the endpoint of all suburban trains on Western Railway Many crucial trains like the MumbaiDelhi Rajdhani the August Kranti Express and Shatabdi trains goods trains and interstate trains to Gujarat Madhya Pradesh and other northern states ply over this bridge Until Virar the longdistance trains run at 80100 kmh but beyond Virar they can zip at close to 160 kmh and beyond On a rail bridge though they normally coast by at 50 kmh depending on sanctions ldquoPresently there is a speed restriction of 20 kmph or so This is to ensure that the rail overbridge doesnrsquot deteriorate furtherrdquo said a senior WR official Beneath boats and dinghies sail from one side to the other ldquoWe donrsquot even want these boats here as at times they dash against the pillars while transporting soil and other goods This is a channel meant for the flow of waterrdquo said another WR official MiD DAY saw big boats moored at the bank Railways say A spokesperson for Western Railway said ldquoWe have written a letter to the district nagistrate in Thane on the issue of sand mining which could affect the strength of this rail overbridge at Vaitarnardquou00a0 Exposed 2 yrs ago In August 2011 the Western Railway authorities first realised the problem after sand slipped off at Vaitarna Bridge due to heavy rainfall and washed away the railway tracks They understood that the soil that keeps the pillars intact was being illegally dug out and taken away Several builders and developers have projects on the VirarDahanu route Recently the WR began operating suburban services on this 60km route which is used by at least 75000 people dailyu00a0