Video showing parts of Ratnagiri station roof enclosure falling goes viral

Heavy rains damaged a newly constructed roof at Ratnagiri railway station, prompting criticism of the Railways Ministry and Maharashtra government.

Mumbai: Parts of a newly installed roof and cladding were damaged at an enclosure in the Ratnagiri railway station amid heavy rains in the Konkan region on Sunday. The new construction was yet to be inaugurated. A video of the same became viral on Monday following which the Opposition parties targeted Railways Ministry as well as Maharashtra government.

Video showing parts of Ratnagiri station roof enclosure falling goes viral

According to Konkan Railway officials, a portion of the roof was damaged as heavy rains and gusty winds caused the tin sheets to blow away and the cladding to fall.

A senior officer of Konkan Railways Corporation Limited (KRCL) said that the KRCL and PWD had an MoU a year ago to beautify the areas around 12 stations in Maharashtra, officials said. They insisted that the station premises was completely safe and there was no problem.

“This roof is of a parking lot which is almost 100-150 metres away from the railway station. This work in progress is a part of the beautification process and is being done by the PWD. We have no affiliation with the project whatsoever,” said an official from the Konkan Railway.

Ratnagiri falls under Konkan Railway jurisdiction. The work of refurbishing the area outside the Ratnagiri Station had been given to state PWD.

Sharad Rajbhoj, chief engineer of state PWD’s Konkan division said, “What is going around in social media is all wrong propaganda. We are doing the work now and it will be completed in eight to ten days. The panels are yet to be fixed.”

S Bapat, regional railway manager of Ratnagiri said that the work was in progress and PWD was doing it. There was heavy wind, and the panels started shaking. Nothing fell, said Bapat.

The video was reposted by several social media handles of opposition parties and leaders. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary said:

“In Maharashtra, the roof of Ratnagiri railway station collapsed before its inauguration. Meanwhile, the Mumbai-Nashik Highway, which is yet to be completed, has more than 500 potholes and cracks. Previously, the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed within months after its inauguration. Cracks had appeared in a road connecting Atal Setu that was built at a cost of ₹18,000 crore.”

She added:

“The ‘Khokha and Dhokha’ government in Maharashtra has committed immense corruption by deceiving the people in the name of development. The people of Maharashtra are soon going to settle the accounts.”

Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP, Shiv Sena (UBT) posted:

“Reel minister, will you make a reel on this as well? This is the Ratnagiri station roof as per reports, inauguration is yet to be done.”