Central Railway proposes to build wall further away from tracks

The Central Railway (CR) has proposed building a new wall another 5 metres away from the previous one that had collapsed near Parsik Tunnel. The idea is to build it further away from the tracks than before and, thereby, reduce the chance of the wall falling directly onto the tracks in case of heavy rains, said a CR official.

The major issue while building it will be to break down the unauthorised slums that exist currently right next to the tracks.

This has caused the entire fast line to be shut down in the process. Officials from the CR have said that the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has already served them the notice, asking them to vacate the area. “The TMC has given the notice to them, but now it is up to them as to how and when they will get those people out of there,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

On June 21, partial debris from a wall built by the residents of the illegal hutments had begun to inch closer to the tracks, finally falling on them. It had become unsafe for fast trains to be run on the same.

The TMC had then taken an one-hour block, but was unable to finish the work on time. Consequently, the trains had to be halted for two-hours and between 100 to 150 services had to be cancelled on the day.

Union minister Suresh Prabhu had sent down officials from the Railway Board in Delhi on June 22, to check the issue firsthand. Leaders from the Mumbai BJP unit had severely criticised the railway administration and had met Mr Prabhu for the same.