Clarify stand on slums atop railway tunnel in Mumbai: HC to Maharashtra govt

Mumbai city news: The bench was hearing a plea filed by the Central Railway on how the slums posed threat to long distance and suburban services

The Bombay high court on Monday directed Maharashtra government to clarify its stand on removal and rehabilitation of slum dwellers atop Parsik tunnel, which is posing a threat to the services operated by the Central Railway (CR).

The Parsik Tunnel is located on the Thane-Kalyan line of the Central Railway. (Praful Gangurde)

The division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Vibha Kankanwadi was hearing a plea filed by general manager, CR, on the urgent need to remove the slums atop Parsik Tunnel, as they posed a threat to long distance and suburban services on the Central line. The plea stated that in the past, owing to the collapse of the safety wall and landslide, rail traffic was halted and it became a serious law and order problem.

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The plea was attached with a pending petition filed by some of the slum dwellers seeking protection from removal and rehabilitation after the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) issued them eviction notices last year. Acting on their plea, in July 2016, the high court has restrained the civic body from taking any coercive action pursuant to the notices issued to the slum dwellers.

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The court then asked the government to clarify it stand on removal and rehabilitation of the slum dwellers and has now posted the petitions of the slum dwellers and the plea filed by the general manager, central railway for further hearing on June 13.