Van Rani relaunch hits a rough patch

Plans to relaunch the Van Rani train at Sanjay Gandhi National Park face delays due to theft and weather damage, prompting police intervention.

MUMBAI: Plans to restart Van Rani (Queen of the Jungle), the mini train at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and a popular tourist attraction, are falling prey to petty thieves and the weather. Material is being stolen from the project site and the newly laid track has suffered subsidence in some places due to heavy rain in the last fortnight.

A vistadome coach and engine for the Mini Train (Van Rani) arrived at Sanjay Gandhi National Park in July (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Last week, SGNP officers caught a vagabond stealing the elastic pins which keep the mini train locked to the track, while material from the project site is frequently pilfered.

With an eye on the scheduled October 20 relaunch, SGNP’s deputy director Kiran Patil wrote to deputy commissioner of police, Zone 12, Mahesh Chemte, about the thefts. In his letter, dated September 29, Patil said, “It is a matter of serious concern that the contractor has been repeatedly reporting the theft of materials from the project site. Although our range forest officer, Krishnagiri Upvan Borivali, has communicated these incidents to Kasturba police station, we regret to note that there has not been much progress in resolving the matter.’’

Van Rani, a narrow gauge ‘toy train’ that was a hit with children and even adults as it wended its way through parts of the forest, was introduced in 1974. There have been many versions of the train since, the latest being damaged in Cyclone Tauktae in 2021.

The state forest department appointed Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) to construct a new 2.8-km railway network in the park, in the 5.5-sq km entertainment zone in SGNP. The revamped Van Rani service will comprise two trains. The first, a vistadome coach, has arrived, while the second, an open train, will arrive later this month.

Van Rani is a dream project of local MP and Union industry minister Piyush Goyal and is being keenly followed up by state forest minister Ganesh Naik. Patil, in his letter, added, “Since this project is being closely monitored by the Minister’s Office and is of significant public importance, it is earnestly requested that your office may kindly look into the issue at the earliest and extend necessary support.”

Senior inspector of the Kasturba Marg police station, Jayraj Ranavare, said, “Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, stolen goods valued at less than ₹5,000 are treated as a non-cognisable offence. One person was caught but we warned him and released him. This is an insignificant incident.”