Negligence looms over trans-harbour railway stations

Mumbai: Daily commuters from Navi Mumbai are demanding better maintenance of railway stations on the trans-harbour line – which were once known for being well-planned

Mumbai: Daily commuters from Navi Mumbai are demanding better maintenance of railway stations on the trans-harbour line – which were once known for being well-planned. For the last two months, Manish Koparkar, a member of Navi Mumbai Pravasi Sangh, has been running between the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Central Railway (CR) authorities demanding the upkeep of stations.

Navi Mumbai, India - October 03, 2022: Scrap automobiles lying at Airoli Railway Station, in Navi Mumbai, India, on Monday, October 03, 2022. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

The trans-harbour line connects Navi Mumbai to Thane and Mumbai and is predominantly used by office-goers. The area houses various IT Parks and industries.

“We have called the CIDCO helpline multiple times; met railway officials personally. For over 60 days, I have even been sending reminders on the Central Railway Twitter handle, but there has been no action,” said Koparkar.

He added that the four stations that have major issues, especially leakages, are Airoli, Ghansoli, Turbhe and Nerul.

“During monsoons, due to leakage, electrical equipment such as lights and fans stop working. If railways are paying CIDCO for maintenance, the former should also ensure that these repairs are done,” said Koparkar.

Earlier on July 29, Navi Mumbai Pravasi Sangh had written to the railways regarding poor facilities, which include water leakages across various stations, choked storm water drains, poor security arrangements and non-functional electrical equipment. Koparkar also shared pictures on Twitter tagging CIDCO and railways highlighting how scrapped vehicles are dumped in the parking premises of railway stations and the hawkers are encroaching the area.

Nazim Ansari, 41, who is travelling on the trans-harbour line for 12 years said, “I travel from Thane to Kopar Khairane for work. Initially, these stations were so beautiful that they were even used for Bollywood movie shoots.”

He added that during monsoons, water leakage and lack of lights is a major challenge.

“CIDCO has provided just one security guard at the main entrance of Kopar Khairane station, but there are 3 exits and all these exits should have security. The stations need a thorough cleaning,” said Ansari.

Stations on the trans-harbour line were known for their well-planned execution including good parking facilities, spacious entry exits and shopping centres inside some of these stations.

While speaking to HT, an official from CIDCO said, “Six months ago, the managing director (MD) of CIDCO formed a joint committee with the company officials, railways, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Panvel Municipal Corporation which is headed by Joint MD of CIDCO, Mr SS Patil.”

The official added that the MD conducted various meetings and listed down the areas that need to be repaired.

CIDCO affirmed it will be repaired in a month.

Calls, messages and emails sent to CR officials did not yield any response.