Elphinstone Road stampede: Maharashtra puts safety on fast-track

Sub-committee will monitor projects to upgrade railway amenities, members to be appointed in 2 days

The state government has decided to appoint a sub-committee of ministers to monitor and take speedy decisions for upgrading amenities on the suburban railway stations.

Nationalist Congress Party workers staged a two-minute rail roko at the crowded Kalwa railway station on Tuesday. (Hindustan Times)

This is the second committee appointed just four days after a stampede on a foot-overbridge at Elphistone Road station, which killed 23 people. The sub-committee will “take measures to prevent mishaps like the stampede”.

Shiv Sena ministers met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday and demanded a committee to monitor projects. The sub-committee members will be appointed in two days, said senior government official.

Subhash Desai, state industries minister and guardian minister of island city, said, “We met the CM and requested him to appoint a committee to monitor projects because we cannot leave it to the railways. There should be constant monitoring. The committee will also help in coordination with the railways.”

The scope of work of the sub-committee of ministers is similar to the multi-disciplinary committee headed by state education minister Vinod Tawde. The committee headed by Tawde will monitor upgradation of passenger amenities at suburban railway stations.

Tawde, who is the also the guardian minister of Mumbai suburbs, will chair a meeting once a month to review the works related to foot overbridges, removing hawkers and ease entry and exit points in and around station premises.

The meeting will be attended by all the five commissioners of municipal bodies and the commissioners of Mumbai Police and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), both the general managers of Central and Western Railways.

Senior Sena leader and environment minister Ramdas Kadam said, “We also urged the chief minister to expedite awarding of tender for the extension of the Elphinstone foot overbridge.”

He added, “We have raised issues about hawking on FOBs across the stations and asked him to take it up with the railways.”