CM Fadnavis’ assistance sought to speed up land acquisitions

Mumbai: The chairman of Railway Board Ashwani Lohani on Friday said he will seek chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ help in expediting land acquisitions in order to fast-track railway infrastructure projects, including the construction of foot over-bridges (FOBs). He said that the Railways has been endeavouring to speed up the construction of not only FOBs but also new lines that require acquisition of land.  

The chairman was asked about the slow pace of projects that came to light after the Elphinstone stampede, which took place on September 29, killing 23 commuters. Mr Lohani said, “We are aware that the projects take time in the Mumbai suburban railway, but that is precisely what we are trying to improve.” He added, “This is one of the biggest issues on the agenda today, and it will be discussed at length at Mantralaya.”

Mr Lohani paid a visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Friday and inspected the base kitchen and met with gangmen of the suburban railway as well as railway officials later on.

A special visit was made by Mr Lohani to the current heritage museum whose offices will be later converted into a bigger museum — a project that had been announced by Union railway minister Piyush Goyal during a previous visit to the city.

Mr Lohani has also asked railway officials to fast-track work related to the clearing up of slums on railway land.