A village wants to cross over to the Other Side, marches to Gate of Action

All they were asking for was simple access across a railway crossing that forced nearly half a lakh people in Uran-Panvel to take a circuitous 12 km detour and spend more on transport every week. Or made them sit out on their side for hours together. The crossing was put into place in June 1999 when a third rail line was laid to facilitate loading at the Indian Oil Tanking (IOT) sheds.

Since then, villagers have spent hours and days trying to get across to the other side, where they can carry on their trade and marketing of produce, go to school and approach the nearest hospital. “My daughter had to miss her school thrice a week because the crossing was not opened on time,” Jayram Bhoir (38), a farmer, said.

The waiting time was never less than three hours as the tanker train blocked access to the other side. Those on foot twiddled their thumbs or tried to slip underneath the stationary train. Those with vehicles or bullock carts had no option but to hope that the train would move on. “People have had to cancel their plans and return home since waiting can be irksome,” points out Patil, “People are cut off even from medical care in emergencies.”

On Thursday morning, the villagers led by Ram Thakur, MP, and Vivek Patil, MLA, both of the Peasants and Workers Party, marched to the crossing gate and squatted on the tracks. The Panvel police walked in shortly after and took most of them away, but not before Thakur declared that he had received an assurance from the Central Railway (CR) that the crossing gate would be opened for pedestrian and vehicular traffic soon at regular intervals.

Repeated correspondence with Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee had failed to elicit a positive reply till then. “I last wrote to her on October 16 and still waiting for an acknowledgemnt,” said Thakur. The CR divisional railway manager Subhash Gupta, however, dismissed the issue, saying the CR had sought from the Collector for closing the gate.

And, all this for two per cent of the traffic — eight trains a month — to and fro IOT which is a fraction of 500 trains along the route.