After aunt, man dies while crossing the bridge

A 20-year-old man was run over by a train on Sunday morning while he was crossing bridge number 92 over Vaitarna creek. This is the fifth such incident since April

A 20-year-old man was run over by a train on Sunday morning while he was crossing bridge number 92 over Vaitarna creek. This is the fifth such incident since April 1, wherein people have either been killed by a speeding train or thrown off the bridge by gusty winds. The Palghar GRP has registered a case of accidental death and the post mortem report is awaited.

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In August, the Western Railway (WR) had put up a warning sign on the 1.4-km bridge, warning commuters from Wadhiv and Sativali villages of penal action if caught using the bridge. However, the 45-year-old bridge has been the only connection for the 2,000 islanders to get to Vaitarna railway station.

According to Palghar GRP, Pritam Patil, a resident of Wadhiv village, had visited a doctor in Vaitarna on Sunday and was walking on the tracks to return home. “Patil saw an oncoming train on the up section [Mumbai] and jumped onto the tracks of the down section [towards Ahmedabad] when the Pune-Hazrat Nizamuddin Darshan Express rammed into him,” said Satish Gawad, member of Dahanu Vaitarna Pravasi Sevabhavi Sanstha (DVPSS), who informed the Palghar GRP about the accident.

“Pritam was the nephew of Baby Bhoir, 60, who died after falling into Vaitarna creek while crossing the bridge on August 1,” said Gawad.

“We have to walk on the iron plates on the bridge [meant for maintenance staff], risking our lives. We have to go to Saphale station, which is 3km from Wadhiv, to board a train to Mumbai or Dahanu. As Vaitarna station is just 1.4 km from Wadhiv village, it convenient for us to use the railway bridge,” said Praful Bhoir, deputy sarpanch of Wadhiv gram panchayat.

Meanwhile, WR, on the orders of the Railway Board, has started to install metal walkways on bridge number 92. “The walkway is exclusively for maintenance staff and not for the public,” said Ravinder Bhakar, CPRO, WR.