Concentration camps better than crowded trains, says Bombay High Court

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“Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and with a large section of workforce taking the train, we must ensure safety and better connectivity,” said Kanade. Making a presentation, the Western Railway official explained to the court that deaths and injuries had come down from 4,319 in 2015 to 3,641 till November 2016 on the Central line and also pointed out accident-prone areas that include Thane, Kalyan, Diva, Kurla and Dadar. According to the report, most victims of railway accidents are in the age group of 21 and 40 years.

Both the authorities discussed their plans of putting up additional foot over-bridges (FOBs), escalators, elevators, boundary walls and fences across railway stations, most of which have been sanctioned, apart from raising platforms and monitoring the boundary walls. The railway police assured to deploy more guards on platforms and trains to ensure safety. The Western Railway representative said 54 FOBs and 20 elevators were in the pipeline.

“Constructing escalators and elevators is a good idea. Besides, FOBs should be free of encroachments. If the development of infrastructure starts now, our future generation can travel better,” said Justice Kanade, asking the authorities to also come up with an idea to connect Churchgate and Thane by considering a circular route.

The court observed that considerable progress had been made by the authorities but asked the authorities to consider the feasibility of connecting the Central Railway and Western Railway corridors. The court asked the railways to set a timeline to finish the proposed projects and inform the dates at the next hearing on January 30.