Boundary wall collapses near Kurla stn, 4 injured

Mumbai: A boundary wall collapsed near platform number 1 of Kurla railway station premises around 9.45 am on Friday morning. Four persons have been injured and admitted to Bhabha Hospital, Kurla. Those injured have been identified as Laxman Vishnu Patil (50), Mohammad Siraj Pantoji (30), Laxman Baburao Khatal (29) and Amir Kasim Khan (59). Out of these, Khan has been shifted to KEM hospital owing to facial bone injury with fractures and grievous inuries.

A doctor at Bhabha Hospital said, “Laxman has an injury to left leg and swelling too. Hence, he has been shifted to KEM. While Lakhan fractured his left leg and his surgery would be conducted after the swelling would reduces. Siraj has been treated for the head injury and is under observation. Lakhan and Siraj are stable.”  

A CR spokesperson said, “This wall is made of brick masonry. Hawkers used outer face of the wall for hanging their goods to nails and hooks. The wall was made weak by indiscriminate drilling of thick nails and hooks in the wall. In addition to that, there were two old huge Banyan trees near this boundary wall, some roots of these trees also touched the wall which may have weakened it further.”

Local MLA Mangesh Kudalakar said that despite repeated reminders about the dilapidated condition of wall, the Central Railway (CR) administration did not listen to our pleadings. Meanwhile, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Mumbai S.K. Jain ordered an enquiry into the incident.

Speaking with The Asian Age, Mr Kudalakar said, “I have written multiple letters in last two years but the CR administration did not take the cognisance of those letters. In fact, I went and asked DRM to direct to construct new wall but all efforts went unheard.”

He also said that CR administration is solely responsible for this incident, hence the railway should bare the cost of medical expenses of those four people who are injured. In addition to this, the CR should also give them compensation as it’s due to their negligence; the innocent people are being forced to suffer.